


The Long Way Back Home

by Julsemo



Series: The Long Way [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Age Difference, Anal Fingering, Angst and Feels, Angst with a Happy Ending, Best Friends, Bottom Uzumaki Naruto, Canonical Character Death, Character Death, Dai-nana-han | Team 7 Have Issues (Naruto), Declarations Of Love, Developing Relationship, Drama, Drama & Romance, Dry Humping, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Feelings Realization, First Dates, First Love, First Time, Fourth Shinobi War, Friends to Lovers, Friendship/Love, Frottage, Good Orochimaru (Naruto), Grief/Mourning, Hatake Kakashi is a Good Teacher, Hayate is alive because Yugao deserves love, Homophobic Character, Hurt/Comfort, Idiots in Love, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Jealousy, Kurama is family, Lap Sex, Love Confessions, M/M, Making Out, Masturbation in Shower, Mutual Pining, Out of Character, Protective Hatake Kakashi, Protective Kyuubi | Nine-tails | Kurama, Protectiveness, Romance, Sage Uzumaki Naruto, Sexual Content, Sexual Tension, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Teacher-Student Relationship, Team Bonding, Team as Family, Temporary Character Death, Top Hatake Kakashi, Uchiha Drama, Uchiha Sasuke Has Issues, Uzumaki Naruto Needs a Hug, the slowest slow burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-17
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:29:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 44
Words: 192,736
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26503678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Julsemo/pseuds/Julsemo
Summary: They had always been close but their dynamic changed after Naruto's panic attack in the land of iron.It takes a lot of time to rebuild the houses and living quarters after Pain's attack on the village, so when Naruto and Kakashi return from another failed attempt to get Sasuke back, they decide to become roommates.They realize their feelings for each other - but war and the situation with the Akatsuki seperate them just when it seems that something might develop between them.The Story takes them through the war and back to Konoha - it's a long way back home.PART 1/3 of THE LONG WAY SeriesPlease note the tags!UPDATE on THE LONG WAY: saturday
Relationships: Gaara/Haruno Sakura, Gekkou Hayate/Uzuki Yuugao, Hatake Kakashi/Uzumaki Naruto, Maito Gai | Might Guy/Yamashiro Aoba, Orochimaru/Tsunade (Naruto)
Series: The Long Way [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1976491
Comments: 219
Kudos: 401
Collections: Memorable Naruto FanFics





	1. land of iron

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Beta: SanguineSarcasm
> 
> Yamato-Taicho is just as cute as a kudo.

Naruto realized how utterly unprepared he was when Gaara suddenly turned up at the border of the Land of Iron. He felt totally drained of energy and emotion already when Sai told him the true meaning of Sakura’s words. It wasn’t like he was hoping that she meant what she said. His crush on Sakura was only that: a childhood crush which ended when he came back to Konoha after his training with Jiraiya. Now that he was older, he realized that his heart was taken by somebody else. He was hurt, however, that Sakura felt the need to lie to him like that. He felt betrayed. Of course she would put Sasuke above him and the team, again. It was always like that with Sakura. At least he had Sai; he could trust Sai. But the next emotional rollercoaster of the night didn’t wait for him to recover from the first. Gaara and his siblings arrived and told them that Sasuke and his team attacked the Kage Meeting. That couldn’t be true! . . . Could it? Why would he attack the Kage Meeting?

“This is a war to save and protect the Hachibi and the Kyuubi. Naruto, as the Kazekage, I will do everything to protect you. As Kazekage I would give my life to protect you both. We must do what is best for the shinobi world. But one thing is for sure… If Uchiha Sasuke presents himself as an enemy to the allied troops, I will show no mercy.” he said with no reservation.

Naruto listened to his friend but he didn’t comprehend the words being spoken. He just couldn’t believe all the things he was hearing. Sasuke was with the Akatsuki, Sasuke was being hunted down and Gaara was talking about killing Sasuke. He didn’t know what to do. How did it come to this? Why did Sasuke change so much? Why did he kill his brother and why did he choose to be a part of Akatsuki? What did Sasuke need from a group of people who wanted to kill Naruto and the remaining Jinchuriki?

He felt their stares directed at him, apparently waiting for a reaction.

“You don’t mean anything to Sasuke. All he wants is darkness.” Gaara looked at Naruto and saw the conflict in Naruto’s heart. Naruto was kind and soft when it came to his friends, even to a man like Sasuke. Naruto would try to save Sasuke even if it would cost his own life. Gaara wouldn’t let that happen. Naruto had saved him; now it was time for him to return the favor.

“Naruto, you told me that you wanted to be Hokage. When you are ready to take on the burden of being a Kage, you will understand what you have to do. –“ Gaara’s words were meant to be guidance but they cut into Naruto like a knife, carving him down to his bones. Of course he knew that his friend meant well but still … when he saw Gaara step towards him to put his hand on his shoulder he pushed it away. He felt betrayed by the man he called a friend. How could Gaara ask this of him?

He tried to ignore the hurt look that flickered over Gaara's face.

In the distance he realized that Temari was speaking to Kakashi-Sensei about the possibility of Kakashi himself taking up the mantle of Hokage. He closed his eyes and tried to calm down.

“I see you as my friend, Naruto.” Gaara quietly said and turned to face his siblings. He moved to step away but hesitated. “Friend was just a word for me until we met, you know… You showed me what is really important in this world. You should think about if Sasuke feels this kind of friendship for you, Naruto.” After a short, tense moment of silence, Gaara turned his head and looked at Naruto. As Naruto gazed into Gaara’s eyes, he saw the worry and hurt swimming in his expression. Gaara broke the connection, turning to face away once more. “Naruto, please think about that.” He bit his lip. He knew that he hurt his friend by pushing away his hand.

Gaara turned to his siblings. “Let’s go.” With that the three were gone.

Naruto, Yamato, Kakashi and Sai’s bunshin stayed outside. The snow was falling all around them. Naruto sighed. Yamato moved to walk over to him and talk to the young man. He saw the worry and sadness in Naruto's eyes.

Kakashi’s arm abruptly stopped him. “He has to find that answer for himself. Yamato could see that Kakashi wanted nothing more than to rush over and comfort Naruto but he stiffly held himself back.”

Naruto needed to get away from them. He needed to be alone and think. Naruto slowly walked away from Kakashi, Yamato and Sai and tried to only listen to the sound of the snow that was softly falling all around him. The snow was crunching under his feet and the whole scenery was wrapped in a white blanket – everything felt calm and serene. So very much unlike his heart. He felt like he could explode any minute. There was so much uncertainty in his heart and mind… He didn’t know what to do or where to go. In the back of his mind, he registered Kakashi-sensei talking with Yamato-taicho and Sai, but he couldn’t focus on what they were talking about.

Why did breathing feel so hard suddenly? He couldn’t focus. The treeline in front of him was getting blurry. What was happening? No air would make it into his lungs. He felt panic creep into him. Gaara's words had such an impact on him. Could he really kill Sasuke if he became a danger to the village? Would he be able to kill his friend? Would he be able to watch his childhood friend be killed by anyone else? Naruto felt the chill of the night creeping up on him and he became very aware that he was only wearing his orange jacket. As he was looking at the snow-covered ground, all that he could think about were Gaara's words and the things that Bee said, about the things that Sasuke did. Had they been right? Was Sasuke lost? What was he supposed to tell Sakura, Baa-Chan, Kakashi-Sensei and the village? He knew how much Sakura loved Sasuke. Was Team 7 really lost? Has Sasuke really become a traitor to the village? He knew how his friends back at the village felt about Sasuke. It hurt him to know that all of them thought that he made a mistake in trying to get him to come back. Naruto knew that Kakashi-Sensei only followed him to speak to the Raikage because Kakashi was so worried that something might happen to him. Naruto knew that deep down Kakashi-Sensei felt the same as his friends did.

He felt extremely cold and hot at the same time. His heart was racing, and his breath was coming in short puffy bursts. His palms were sweaty, and he felt his entire body starting to cramp and shake. With his hand he reached for his chest. He tried to get out of his jacket. In his panic he tried to rip it off his body. His sight was getting blurry and he felt his legs give out. His knees hit the soft snowy ground, but Naruto couldn’t feel the impact. With shaky hands he was clawing for his face and his throat. He was starting to panic, because he couldn’t breathe. It felt like he ran a marathon against Gai-Sensei and Lee… like there wasn’t any air left in his lungs. Naruto suddenly felt Kakashi's presence by his side. Kakashi fell to his knees and immediately took Naruto into his arms. He was calling his name. Why was he looking at him like that?

“Naruto?!”

He couldn’t breathe. He could see Kakashi's blurry face and he could feel Kakashi's hands reaching for his face.

“Breathe Naruto. You have to breathe with me!”

He felt Kakashi pick him up very slowly and being lifted into the man’s arms. Being so close to Kakashi calmed him down a little. Opening his eyes was also painful. He looked at the one grey eye and breathed heavily.

“Ka… Ka… Kashi. Ha- Ha!” He wheezed out. 

“It’s alright! Breathe with me Naruto! I’m here! Focus on me!”

Kakashi lifted the young man into his arms and looked at him terrified. What was happening? Naruto apparently was suffering from a panic attack. Kakashi held his blond head close to his masked face, so Naruto could hear his breathing. He pulled Naruto's body closer to his and his left arm wound around Naruto's back to support him against Kakashi's sturdy form.

“Listen to my breathing. In– and slowly out. “

Naruto felt Yamato’s and Sai’s worried glances on him, but he could only focus on Kakashi's deep voice. His grey eye and his hand softly touching his hair. He slowly opened his blue eyes again to look at Kakashi fully. His lungs ached from breathing in so harshly and desperately.

“Kaka… shi.”

“Yes. I’m here.”

Naruto felt like he was slowly slipping away. He desperately reached for Kakashi. “Don’t leave me, please!”

“I am not leaving you. Never.” His solemn grey eye gazed into Naruto’s. 

Naruto's breath was still ragged and his vision darkened around the edges, drowning out the faint light filtering through the trees above. 

“I can’t…“ Naruto reached for his throat. It felt like it was closing and no air was getting in or out of his body. Kakashi reached for the zip of the orange jacket and pulled it down a bit.

“Calm down. Everything will be ok. Just look at me. Don’t think about Gaara or Sasuke or anything else. Just look at me. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

He laid Naruto down on the snowy ground and pulled his mask down. He reached for Naruto's face and pressed his lips to the younger man’s in an attempt to breathe more air into Naruto's lungs. A few feet away, Yamato watched transfixed as Kakashi was hunched over Naruto's limp form. It felt like hours until Kakashi pulled away. Kakashi’s face had a pained look. Tears ran down Naruto's face as he looked up into Kakashi's unmasked face. His breathing was going a little easier now, but his face still showed the emotions troubling his mind and his heart. This is not how he imagined seeing Kakashi's face for the first time. He felt Kakashi's warm hand touching his cheek and more tears fell from his eyes. “It’s alright.” There was a knot forming in his throat and his heart.

"I'm sorry... I -" A sob wrecked Naruto's body.

 _This was not how I imagined a kiss between us_ …. Naruto thought before he slipped into unconsciousness.

Kakashi pulled the younger one closer to him and softly brushed the sweaty strains of hair from his forehead. He pulled his mask up again when he felt Yamato move closer. Yamato kneeled next to him and whispered. “We should get Naruto inside, don’t you think?” 

Kakashi caressed the whiskered face with a pained look. “Yes.” He lifted Naruto into his arms and got up. “I got him.” 

Yamato took a step back. “Of course.” Yamato realized that the relationship between Naruto and Kakashi has developed over the last couple of months. He was worried about them. Especially since Kakashi wasn’t the most emotionally stable person and had a past full of loss and pain. Naruto, on the other hand, was a person who was very emotional and was extremely attached to his important people. Naruto made no secret out of his feelings and how he felt for someone. For Yamato, it was clear why Naruto suffered so much under the pressure of getting Sasuke back. He made a promise to his friend Sakura and he refuse to break that promise to his childhood friend. However, it was also clear to him that the bond between Naruto and Kakashi was deeper than just that of a sensei and one of his students. After seeing what just transpired, Yamato was even more worried.

Both Kakashi and Naruto suffered from the situation at hand. Kakashi suffered because he was terrified that something might happen to Naruto, either from the Akatsuki or if Sasuke decided to act on his own. He wouldn’t be able to cope if something like what happened with the other Jinchuriki happened to Naruto. Yamato didn’t doubt that it would kill Kakashi if he lost Naruto. Kakashi had a hard exterior and he didn’t show much emotion but for those who knew him knew that he hid a fragile glass heart behind his cold stone exterior. Kakashi tried not to get too attached to people, but when the three of them trained together, Yamato realized that Kakashi was very attached to Naruto. Maybe even more attached than he would like to admit. Yamato had a feeling that there was something more, but he didn’t want to go there right now.

He was trotting after Kakashi’s strained form as he carried Naruto's unconscious body into the house. It was snowing more heavily now. The white flakes were falling faster now. The snow was piling higher on the ground and every time Yamato's feet hit the ground they sunk into the snow. The sun was setting, and the white snow was glittering in the pink and violet rays. The green trees were creating a harsh contrast. Actually, it was a beautiful scene. Yamato's face grew serious and he drew his brows together.

While Kakashi entered the house to take Naruto to one of the bedrooms, Yamato decided to tell Sai’s Bunshin that it was time to leave. The Bunshin dispelled and Yamato then followed Kakashi inside as well. He took off his shoes and followed Kakashi upstairs. He found Kakashi kneeling next to one of the futons where he had laid Naruto. He had taken off Naruto’s orange jacket and wrapped him in the blankets. Kakashi made sure that Naruto was warm and sat down next to the futon. Yamato followed that example and sat next to Kakashi.

With a weary face, Kakashi looked at the young man in front of him. No words were spoken for some time. Yamato felt like the situation had to be addressed.

“Senpai. I think we need to talk about this.”

A deep breath of sheer exhaustion left Kakashi's lungs when he put his elbows on his knees and buried his face in his hands. He was hunched over his knees. Yamato waited for his teammate to make the next move, or to say something. The grey head rose, and dark eyes looked down at the sleeping figure in front of them.

“Senpai. I feel like we should have talked about this much sooner. Please forgive me if I am overstepping my boundaries. I know this is none of my business… but I am also a part of this team and since I have also trained with you and Naruto I know that you feel – “

“No.”

“Senpai –“

Kakashi turned to him and looked at him with an icy glare.

“There is nothing to talk about.”

Yamato dropped his gaze “I think you know very well that sooner or later you will have to face this.”

“Stop this.” Kakashi hissed. “I am his sensei. I have to protect him. There is nothing to talk about.”

They looked at each other for several moments. A lone, hardened grey eye stared into two pained yet angry brown eyes 

“Of course, Senpai.”

“You will stay here with him and protect him. When he wakes up, you will take him back to Konoha.”

“What will you do, Senpai?”

Kakashi turned his face away from Yamato to look at Naruto's sleeping form. It seemed that only now, in the realm of dreams, Naruto found peace and that nothing in the world was troubling him. The Akatsuki. Sasuke. All that was far away and he wanted to keep it that way. Kakashi's hand instinctively reached for the whiskered face and softly touched his cheek. “I will go after Sasuke. Sakura is probably after him right now. God only knows what she is doing right now. I will take care of that.”

“Are you sure that it is wise to simply go after Sasuke alone? What do you think Naruto will do if he finds out that you left him here and went after Sasuke? What should I tell him?!”

Kakashi pulled his hand away from Naruto's face and stood from where he sat. He pulled the zip of his flak-jacket close and adjusted his Hitai-ate. “There is no other way. Sakura is not strong enough to kill Sasuke and I won’t stand by and watch while one of my students is getting herself killed just because she is blinded by love. Sakura was always a little dense when it came to Sasuke but… I have to stop this now. Sasuke is lost to us. To be completely honest with you, I don’t think that he will ever come back to the village. I don’t know what will happen to Sasuke but I have a bad feeling about all of this.”

That was the most that Kakashi ever spoke about the Sasuke affair that Yamato could remember. He also had a bad feeling and felt the same about Sasuke and the village. He nodded. They shared a look of understanding. They knew that they only went with Naruto on his missions and his endless quests of finding and trying to bring Sasuke back because they knew that he hasn’t accepted that truth yet. Naruto probably wouldn’t accept it for a very long time, but they would be there with him and to help and protect him.

“I feel the same… But Naruto –“

“He needs more time. Losing someone is hard, and losing a friend is even harder.”

With that they fell into an uncomfortable silence.

Yamato felt the weight of Kakashi's words on him. Of course he knew that Kakashi was right but still he felt pained for his young teammate. Naruto was such an emotional being and he always felt so much love for all his friends. Even after all of the pain that Sasuke put Naruto through, he still saw him as a friend. Yamato admired that in Naruto. He never gave up and always saw the good in people. But seeing the good in Sasuke was hard, after he became a traitor to the village, killed Orochimaru, tried to kill the Hachibi and decided to become a member of the Akatsuki. Yamato really tried to be more open and positive like Naruto but years of training and being an Anbu made it practically impossible for him to see the light in someone like Sasuke.

He took a deep breath and looked up into Kakashi's face. “I hope you will find her in time. I will take good care of Naruto. Don’t worry about him, I won’t let him out of my sight.”

“Good. I will take my leave then. Tell Naruto that we will meet back in the village.” Kakashi longingly glanced back at Naruto for a moment before he left.

“Yes, Senpai.”


	2. Yamato - Pain Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yamato worries about Naruto, the Team and Kakashi.

Chapter 2

**Yamato**

Of course, Naruto couldn’t stay still! Of course, Naruto didn’t return to the village with him. Yamato was furious when he wanted to wake Naruto and all that he found was an empty futon and a hole in the floor! Where did he go? What would Kakashi-Senpai say if he found out that Naruto simply left unnoticed by him! He slipped away right under his nose! He couldn’t believe it. He had to find him! Kakashi-Senpai trusted him with protecting Naruto! He groaned. 

Yamato raced out of the Inn, promising to come back as soon as he could, to fix that floor. He had to find Naruto. He couldn’t decide which feeling was stronger was inside him worry or anger. He was angry that Naruto simply left without telling him (or anyone) but he was also worried because Naruto simply left (alone! and without telling anyone!). It seemed like all the most horrible scenarios that could happen to Naruto were going through Yamatos head at that moment. 

What if the Akatsuki found him?

What if Madara found him? 

What if Sasuke found him?! 

They would kill him! 

_ And that would mean that Senpai would kill me…. Why did Naruto have to leave!! I have to find him!  _

Yamato tried to find Narutos Chakra and raced through the snowy land. Yamato realized that Naruto wasn’t just a pupil for Kakashi. He saw the way Senpai looked at the blond. But on the other hand… sometimes, when Naruto thought that nobody was looking, the blond was looking at Senpai in a certain way. Longingly. 

“Hah...” Yamato sighed as he rushed through the cold weather. “What have I gotten myself into.” 

Worst case scenarios were flashing in front of Yamatos eyes. Yes, he knew that he somehow became the mother hen of team 7, he knew that, but Kakashi-senpai was a bit too carefree in his opinion. With an emotional inept member, a girl who had the WORST taste in man, and one over emotional hyperactive member and…Senpai (no more to say there), Yamato felt the need to take care of them all. And now he lost one of them! 

As he rushed after Naruto now, he remembered Pains attack on Konoha. It was clear to him, that whenever Naruto was involved, Kakashi wasn’t able to make objective decisions. He was simply acting on emotions and feelings. 

At first, he was shocked that Senpai would look at Naruto like that. Maybe it was the age difference, maybe it was because he knew Senpai for such a long time, and he knew what Kakashi has been through. Yamato looked at Naruto and all he saw was a blond ball full of sunshine and Ramen. Of course, he knew that wasn’t all that Naruto was made of... Even though Naruto was only 17 he had seen more suffering than most people his age. 

Yamato was not naïve. When he was staying with Kakashi and Naruto he realized that there was a significant change in the way these two behaved towards each other. Or let’s say, he saw a change in the way Kakashi behaved. He was more patient and more caring. He should have realized it much sooner… He should have realized it when Hokage-sama sent him on that Mission to infiltrate Orochimarus lair which was an almost success but he had to run back to Konoha when he realized that the Kyuubi tried to break free. He was shocked when he got back to the village only to learn that Naruto faced Pain alone and was badly hurt in the process. Later on, he learned that it was Kakashi who rushed to Narutos aid and got himself almost killed in front of him. That must have triggered the transformation. 

*****Flashback*****

He found Sakura, Hinata and the others hovering over the fallen Sensei as she was trying to save Kakashis life. He was still bleeding from the wounds. He asked the little group of friends what had happened. 

“It was terrible. Naruto was fighting Pain alone, but he was too strong.” Hinata whispered next to Sakura. 

“Kakashi-Sensei fought against two Pains with me and my Dad. He was badly hurt at that time… But we somehow made it and defeated them. But then I just saw him rush off… I think he knew that Naruto needed him.” Choji explained. 

“He just jumped into the battle and fought against Pain alone! He saved Naruto! The flame of youth was burning bright in Kakashi-Sensei!” even after such a fight, Lee seemed very energetic, which was encouraging to Yamato. 

“I see. Where is Naruto now? Is he ok? What happened? I felt the seal burning!” It was getting quiet around Yamato and everybody was looking down on Kakashi. Sakura was very quiet as she was concentrating on healing the wounded man. 

“Katsuya told us that Naruto transformed into the nine-tails after Pain took down Kakashi. It was too much for Naruto to watch. We don’t know where he is right now. Only that he is still transformed and that he is fighting against Pain… I… -“ The young woman tried to suppress the tears but she failed. Hinata kneeled next to her and put her hands on Sakura’s shoulder. “I am sure that Naruto-kun is alright. Let’s focus on healing Kakashi-Sensei. Naruto-kun will be very happy to see him healthy when he returns, ne?” Teary-eyed Sakura looked at the other woman and tried a little smile. “Yes!” 

It felt like a wonder, but Kakashi did not die that day and after what felt like an eternity, he opened his eyes only to look into many happy faces.

“Sakura-chan…”

“Sensei! You woke up! I am so glad!” 

“Sakura-chan, what happened?” Kakashi realized that he was still in the area where the fight with Pain took place. All the memories came rushing back to him. He tried to move his body, but a burning pain hindered him from sitting up. As he tried to sit up there was a sharp pain in his lower abdomen, right where Pain stabbed him. Sakura pushed him back. 

“You have to take it slow Sensei! You have a bad wound in your lower abdomen and I healed it as best as I could, but it will need some time.”

“Thank you. – What about Pain?! Naruto?!” There was panic in his voice as the silver-haired man was looking around.. “Urg..” He couldn’t see Naruto anywhere. “Where is Naruto?! Did they take him?”

“Sensei! Please lay back down.” 

“No! Where is Naruto? What happened?” 

An uncomfortable silence followed. Nobody wanted to look at Kakashi. But Yamato stepped forward and kneeled next to Kakashi. “Senpai. I am glad that you woke up. You seem lively –“ 

“Stop with all that nonsense. Where is Naruto? What happened after Pain took me down?” 

“Senpai… As you know I was on a mission with Anko-san to investigate one of Orochimaru’s liars. But when the seal on my hand alerted me that Naruto-kuns sealing broke … I hurried back to the village as fast as I could. I wasn’t fast enough though. I reached Konoha when Naruto unleashed the nine tails already. Please forgive me, Senpai. I don’t know where Naruto is or what is happening right now. – Senpai! Senpai what are you doing?! You can’t get up!!” 

Kakashi tried to get up as soon as he heard that Naruto’s seal broke and that Yamato was unable to contain it. To say that he was angry was an understatement. He was furious at Yamato. Of course, he knew it wasn’t Yamato’s fault, but it was Yamato’s job to protect Naruto’s sealing. But it was his job to protect Naruto! Pain was with the Akatsuki! What was going on?! What if Pain took the Kyuubi? Taking a Bijuu would mean that the Jinjuriki dies. That was not an option here. Kakashi witnessed what happened to Kushina-san, after she lost the Kyuubi. He would not let that happen to Naruto. He would not lose another important person. 

“Senpai! Please! You have to lay down!” 

“Sensei! You can’t fight!” 

“Kakashi-Sensei!” 

“I have to go! I Have to help Naruto! Sakura, let go of me!!” 

Everybody was screaming. 

Suddenly Katsuya’s little head showed up on Sakura’s shoulder. 

“There’s news from Naruto!”

Sakura and Yamato, who were desperately holding onto Kakashi, became very quiet. 

“Sensei?” The young woman looked at her Sensei as if to ask for permission to let go now and listen to the news. 

“Katsuya-sama, please tell us where Naruto is and what is happening. Is he alive? Is he alright?” Even though Kakashi just woke up and his whole body ached, he never felt more anxious and nervous. 

“Naruto is alive. He is tired and low on Chakra, but he is fine. He defeated Pain.”

Everybody cheered. Kakashi stared at the little body of Katsuya on Sakura’s shoulder. 

“I am going after him.” Kakashi tried again to get out of Yamato’s iron grip. “Yamato let go of me. He needs me.” 

“Naruto-kun said that he will go after Nagato, the real Pain. He wishes to talk to him. Nobody is to follow him. He doesn’t want to get anybody in danger.” Katsuyas soft voice was soon drowned by the loud discussion between Kakashi, Yamato and Sakura. 

“I need to be with him! He needs me! Let me go this instant!” 

“Don’t be ridiculous Senpai! You can barely stand! Let Naruto handle this.” 

“Sensei, please listen to Katsuya-sama and Yamato-Taicho! Let me heal you!” 

The three of them were fighting until Hinata, who had been rather quiet until then, tapped Kakashi’s shoulder. “Sensei, please take more care of yourself. Naruto would be sad if something happened to you. He was very hurt when Pain tried to kill you. You are after all one of his very important people, ne? Of course, you are right, Naruto needs you. But he needs you for a very long time. Please, let Sakura-san heal you.” The Hyuga-Heiress bowed her head in a formal manner and walked back to her cousin Neji who smiled softly at her and took her hand. 

“You know Sensei that she is right? Sit down and let me heal you. Why do I have to be in a Team full of difficult men?! Shannaro.” Faintly Kakashi was listening to Sakura grumbling about difficult men and somehow that made him smile. Maybe they were right. Maybe Naruto would be able to pull out another trick and save them all. 

Yamato looked at Kakashi and sighed. Thank god they were able to convince Senpai to stay. In his condition he was absolutely not able to fight or run around. Now all that Yamato was still worrying about was Naruto. He sat down next to Kakashi. All that they could do was wait. Wait for Naruto to finish this talk and wait for more news from Katsuya. Tsunade-samas summon faithfully transmitted all the news and all that was happening between Naruto and Nagato to the village. Nobody could believe it when suddenly all their dead loved ones started waking up. But one thing was for sure. Naruto was their hero. He made it all happen. 

The little group that was still huddled around Kakashi, Yamato and Sakura, had grown in the meantime. Neji was fussing about Hinata-sama’s wellbeing, Lee was talking (screaming) about the great spirit of Naruto’s youth, Yamato was worried about the whole situation at hand, Sakura and Ten-Ten were complaining about the difficult men in their lives and Gai was fussing over Kakashi, which was great fun to watch for Sakura’s enjoyment, but extremely annoying for Kakashi. (But he knew his friend meant well.)

In all that craziness Katsuya started speaking again. “Naruto will be heading back to the village now. Nagato died and his companion left.” 

“Did Naruto kill him?” Neji wanted to know. 

“No. Naruto didn’t kill Nagato. Nagato died because of the Jutsu he used to bring everybody back.” 

After that news it was hard even for Yamato to keep Kakashi from running after Naruto. 

*****Flashback end*****

Somehow it seemed to Yamato that they were always running after each other. How they didn’t realize that themselves was beyond him, but he tried not to think so much about that now. 

Finally he felt Naruto’s Chakra getting closer and he hurried to find him. He could also feel Kakashi-Senpais Chakra flare up close by and two other Chakra signatures that were very strong. 

_ Better hurry…  _


	3. team 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> team 7 fights

**Chapter 3**

**Team 7**

Kakashi ran as fast as he could to catch up with Sakura. He jumped through the trees until something or rather someone caught his eye. He realized that Kiba, Sai and Lee were laying in the middle of the street – unconscious. It seemed that Sakura really wanted to take on Sasuke by herself. That girl really thought that she could do this by herself? 

He jumped down and landed right next to Kiba. He patted his cheek in an attempt to wake the young Inuzuka. “Oooy!” 

Kiba was slowly coming back to himself but it was clear to Kakashi that he only had a moment until Kiba would pass out again. 

“Where is Sakura?”

“North … towards two o’clock, about one kilometer out.” Was all that Kiba was able to say. He fell unconscious again. Kakashi looked around and took in the scenery. Lee, Sai and Akamaru were all sleeping – presumably under the influence of a heavy drug. “Damn it, Sakura. Looks like she learned how to make a powerful sleeping drug from Tsunade-sama.”

Kakashi took the three and put them safely under a tree next to the road. Of course it wasn’t that safe for a group of shinobi to sleep like that without a guard, but Kakashi hat to get a move on. 

“I am sorry, but time is precious. I have to go…” 

With that Kakashi turned to move into that direction that Kiba said Sakura should be. He just hoped that Sakura wasn’t that fast and hadn’t met Sasuke yet. 

**

In the meantime, Sakura found Sasuke and tried to reason with him. In her heart she still saw the sweet troubled boy from her childhood standing in front of her. Sasuke was still as handsome as ever – he was even more handsome now. Of course she knew what Sasuke did was wrong but there was a huge difference between doing what her head said or what her heart felt. 

“Sasuke, let me join you! I only want to be with you!” 

“What do I gain if you join me?” Sasuke’s voice was deeper now. “What are you plotting?” 

“I am not plotting anything.” Sakura knew why she came here, she had a plan. She would do it. But what would she do if Sasuke said yes? What would she do if Sasuke took her with him? Her heart skipped a beat. No. She had to concentrate. She was a kunoichi of Konoha. She had to do this for her village, her friends and for her family. It was her duty. Her palms were getting sweaty. 

“You know what I want?” 

“I don’t care, I’ll do exactly what you say, Sasuke-kun –“ Without letting her finish, Sasuke’s face grew hard and angry. “I want to destroy Konoha! Are you sure that you can destroy the village?”

Sakura looked at him full of conflicted emotions. She still felt that longing and love, but at the same time she was afraid of him. Like never before she felt like she didn’t know that man in front of her. Sasuke had changed so much. 

“If you truly want to come with me, then kill that woman!” He pointed to the red haired woman next to him. Sakura hadn’t realized that woman until now. But now that Sasuke pointed at her and demanded her death, Sakura became highly aware of her. “Who… Who is she?” 

“She was a member of my old Team. Taka. As you can see, she is rather useless now. Can you do it?” 

Sakura gulped and moved closer. This could be an opening for her. This could be her only chance to get close to Sasuke. She pulled out a Shuriken and slowly moved closer to the fallen woman. She had deep wounds and couldn’t move anymore. Sakura’s medical training kicked in and she tried to analyze the situation. Sakura was so aware of the bleeding woman in front of her, that just for a split second she had forgotten, to pay attention to Sasuke. That was a huge mistake as it turned out. 

“Don’t… Sasuke. Stop –“ The woman was groaning and begging. But it wasn’t for her own life. She was begging Sasuke to spare Sakura’s life! Sakura turned and as she saw the blue light of the Chidori she thought that this would be her end. But it wasn’t. 

Kakashi jumped between them and pulled Sasuke’s hand away from Sakura. His instincts to protect his students kicked in as he pushed Sasuke away. He tried to put some distance between Sasuke and himself. “Sakura, you planned to kill Sasuke on your own, didn’t you?” Kakashi didn’t take his eye off Sasuke. Sakura was grateful that her Sensei came to her rescue, but she felt like she failed her Team.    
“You don’t have to take that burden by yourself. We are Team 7. I am sorry if you felt like you couldn’t trust your Sensei.” 

“That’s not…-“ She didn’t know what to say. Of course she trusted Kakashi-Sensei. 

Kakashi looked at Sasuke and saw a young man that was completely eaten up by his hatred and his thirst for revenge. There was nothing left of the Kid that was his student all those years ago. It must hurt Sakura. He knew that she never stopped loving him. He sighed. “I don’t like repeating myself. Stop this, Sasuke. Revenge will get you nowhere. Come to your senses and – “ 

“I won’t! Itachi, my mother, my father … my clan, my family… bring them back to me! Only then will I stop! Konoha took everything from me!”

Kakashi realized that talking was no longer possible with Sasuke. “Leave, Sakura.” Sakura scurried away and left the field to Kakashi and Sasuke. Kakashi took off his coat and got ready for the immediate fight. He dreaded what would probably happen now, but… “As the leader of Team 7, I’ll settle everything right here, right now!” 

Sasuke didn’t hold back in fighting against Kakashi. Kakashi had trouble keeping up with Sasuke’s rage but when Sasuke’s vision troubled the young Uchiha, Kakashi thought that this could be an opening for him. But to his terror he realized that Sakura tried to get closer to Sasuke again, to try a surprise attack. 

“Don’t!” He could only hope that he would be fast enough to catch Sakura this time. He ran and pushed himself to his limits. One student might be lost but he couldn’t loose another one just because she was stupid enough, to think that she could take on Sasuke. 

As Sakura reached Sasuke, she got ready to put the Kunai through his body, but in that second, Sasuke turned around and grabbed her by her throat. 

“Sakura!” He wasn’t fast enough. He used the Sharingan too much. “Don’t do it Sasuke!” 

Sasuke grabbed a Kunai as well and was ready to kill the pink haired girl. Kakashi cursed. He had to use the Mangekyo Sharingan against Sasuke and that took too much Chakra, now he couldn’t move fast enough to get to Sakura. Suddenly he saw blond hair and way too much orange flying through the air. Naruto! He was happy and angry at the same time to see Naruto. He made it quite clear to Yamato to keep a close eye on Naruto. He would have to talk to Yamato when they got back to the village. But first things first. As Naruto was talking to Sasuke, Kakashi protectively moved in front of Naruto. 

As Sasuke was getting himself more and more worked up, while talking about the revival and the purification of the Uchiha, Naruto was getting ready to ‘ _ knock some sense into Sasuke _ ’. But Kakashi would have none of that. He held Naruto back when he wanted to charge at an enraged Uchiha.    
“No. That is my duty. I am the Leader of team 7. Naruto you will take Sakura and leave this place. You don’t have to watch this.” 

“With  _ this _ , you mean killing Sasuke!” Naruto cried out. Naruto and Sakura gasped as Sasuke focused Chakra in his hand to form a Chidori. Kakashi took a fighting stance and got ready to do the same. 

“No! Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!” Naruto yelled and immediately one of Naruto’s Kage Bunshin launched himself at Kakashi to hold him back as his true self ran towards Sasuke. Their Chidori and Rasengan collided. Kakashi tried to free himself from the grip that the Kage Bunshin had on him. He struggled and groaned. 

“Let me go!” Kakashi yelled.

“No! You want to kill Sasuke!” The Kage Bunshin argued heatedly.

“Baka! All l want is to keep you safe! Let me go! I need to protect you!” His voice grew desperate. 

The Kage Bunshin looked conflicted. The strength of the two Jutsus colliding pushed Naruto towards the cliff. Kakashi couldn’t wait anymore. He freed himself from the Kage Bunshin and jumped up to catch Naruto in mid flight. He pulled the blond close to his body and held him in his arms. With Naruto secured in his arms he jumped back down to Sakura and the two Kage Bunshin. Kakashi was starting to fuss over the blond. He still held him in a tight embrace. “Naruto. I told you to go home!”

“I am sorry Kakashi-Sensei. I know you want me to go home. And Yamato-Taicho is probably worried too. But I am a member of team 7 and I couldn’t let you and Sakura deal with this alone. I am sorry I disrespected you decision.” 

“Naruto I just –“ Kakashi couldn’t finish the sentence as in that moment another black and red coat appeared. Another Akatsuki. Kakashi felt hyper aware of the danger that they were all in. Sasuke was unstable and even though Naruto and Sakura wished to save him, he felt like there was no way that they could save Sasuke. Then there was that other Akatsuki guy that now suddenly appeared and not to forget Zetszu. That weird white creature that was also seen with the masked guy. Kakashi’s mind was running a mile a second. He needed to get Naruto far away from here as soon and as fast as possible. 

But of course Naruto had other plans. “Sasuke!” 

Kakashi felt the tension in the air and it only grew aggravated by the second. “Naruto!” He reached for him and tried to hold him back. “Wait –“ 

Naruto looked back and smiled “It’s alright. Don’t worry Kakashi-Sensei.” Easier said than done. He felt one of the Bunshin come up to him. Their arms were almost touching. 

“Sasuke! I will not give up. I will bring you back to the village. Dattebayo!” 

“Why are you so obsessed with this?! I don’t want to come back to Konoha and I don’t care about you, Team 7, or any of this!” Sasuke screamed.

Naruto flinched at this and even though Sasuke’s word pained him he tried to smile. 

“Because you are my friend. That’s why I will never give up trying to save you.”

Sasuke growled. “I wish you would stop. I wish I would never have to see your face again. And most of all I wish to never see or hear from Konoha ever again.” 

“Sasuke. If that were truly your wish… and all that hate you feel towards Konoha is still there… Let me take it. I will take it all if that would mean that you could forgive the village and the innocent people. –“ 

Kakashi couldn’t believe what Naruto said. He was ready to move but he felt the Kage Bunshins hand on his arm. Soft but firm. He looked into the blue eyes that were slightly hidden behind blond hair. The Kage Bunshin smiled up at him. “Please don’t interfere, Sensei. Everything will be ok. Don’t worry.” 

“What?! – “ Kakashi turned back to the scene in front of him. “Naruto!” 

“What do you say, Sasuke?” Naruto yelled. 

“Hn. Do whatever you want.” With that Sasuke turned to the masked man and Zetsu. “We are leaving.” Without another word the three man disappeared. 

Kakashi stood there transfixed on Naruto’s back. “Why did you say that?” Kakashi slowly moved the few steps that separated them from each other. 

“A man who can’t even save a friend… how can such a man become Hokage…” 

Kakashi reached Naruto and softly touched his shoulder. “I know how this situation is hurting you. Naruto… But sacrificing yourself is not the right way. Not for the village, not for this team and not for … please think about how this would affect your friends and teammates. What about your dreams? You have so much to live for.” 

Naruto looked up into Kakashi's face as if he was looking for something. His lips were quivering and Kakashi saw that he tried very hard not to cry, but his eyes were welling up already and his breath was getting faster. 

“It's alright. I’m here.” 

Something broke in Naruto and the tears were flowing freely. He pushed his face into Kakashi's chest and sobbed. “I don’t understand why he hates me so. – I don’t know what to do Sensei!” Kakashi took the sobbing blond into his arms and rubbed his back. He wished that he could say things like ‘It’s going to be alright.’ Or ‘Don’t worry’ But somehow those things seemed like lies in this situation. Kakashi registered that Sakura moved closer to them. 

“I am so sorry Naruto. I thought that I could do this…” She sniffed. 

“You don’t have to apologize, Sakura-chan, “ Kakashi thought very differently there, “we are a team, we will do this together. Right?” Kakashi looked at his two Students and wished that he could just snip his fingers and make it all alright for them. Naruto was still teary-eyed clinging to him while Sakura already brushed the tears from her eyes. She nodded and smiled at Naruto. 

Naruto stepped away from Kakashi. “Thank you, Sensei.” Kakashi smiled at him. A moment later the Kage Bunshin disappeared and Naruto's face took a very unhealthy color. He was wobbling a bit. Kakashi already reached for him again but he wasn’t fast enough. Naruto simply fell. It seems like Sakura's poisoned Kunai cut Naruto. 

Kakashi and Sakura rushed to his side. Kakashi lifted him up to hold him. Since they were still on the lake where they fought Sasuke, he took Naruto into his arms so that he wouldn’t sink. 

Sakura kneeled next to him. “Naruto are you feeling sick?” 

“Hnnnn…” 

“It seems like your poisoned Kunai cut him.” Kakashi mused out loud. 

“I am so sorry Naruto.” Sakuras face was full of remorse. She touched his forehead to check his temperature. Her other hand gently touched his stomach. Healing Ninjutsu was flowing into Naruto's body. 

“Thank you, Sakura-chan.” Naruto whispered. 

After a few minutes the Kakashi and Sakura helped Naruto up and they made it back onto the bridge. Kakashi made the decision to take the woman with the red hair back to Konoha with them. He looked at Naruto who was still a bit wobbly on his legs. 

“Oh maaan… I still feel sick…” Naruto moaned. Kakashi couldn’t stop the smile that formed on his lips. He was glad that Naruto was alright and unharmed. “Are we going back to Konoha?” the blond asked with a slightly sick look on his face. Kakashi took the young woman on his back and walked back over to his team. Naruto was getting ready to move into the direction of Konoha, when Kakashi spoke up “Naruto, that is the wrong direction.”

“What do you mean Kakashi-Sensei? Konoha is that way.” 

“But we left something behind in the Land of Iron. Don’t you remember?” 

Naruto looked at him confused and tried to think of something that he could have left behind in the land of iron. “hmmm. I don’t know what you … aaahhhh!!!” Suddenly he felt Yamato-Taicho’s Jutsu building a cage around him. Of course Naruto thought about Yamato-Taicho. He knew that he would probably be angry but wasn’t that a bib of an overreaction? 

Yamato clenched his teeth. “Finally I found you! We were supposed to go back to the village together! I can’t believe you made a hole in the inn’s floor! Do you have any idea how worried I was?!” Yamato looked to Kakashi who watched the whole scene with a hint of amusement. “Senpai, you were the one who told me to take Naruto back to the village! Now I find you here together!” 

Kakashi couldn’t hide his amusement anymore. Yamato was always worrying. He chuckled “So you’re saying Naruto slipped away, without you noticing?”

“No! well,… Senpai! I promise it will not happen again!” 

“It turned out well, Yamato. Don’t worry so much.” Yamato was wondering if this was actually true what Kakashi-Senpai was saying and everything was alright or if this was a trick and he would be facing Senpais wrath later on for losing Naruto. But right now he would believe him. 

“Forgive Naruto this time. Yamato.” The wood-style user nodded and obediently let down the wood cage to release Naruto. Sakura grinned as Naruto was wobbling with a sick complexion. 

“I really don’t feel so good.”

“I am sorry, Naruto. I would carry you, but I already have someone on my back.” 

“Maahhh… not fair Sensei.”

Kakashi and Sakura chuckled and giggled as Naruto loudly complained over the unfairness of it all and that “cute students” definitely should have privileged treatment over some strange woman. 


	4. Kakashi - Pain part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pain part 2  
> It was Kakashi who saved Naruto from Pain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you ArMok21 for your lovely comment. :)  
> I wrote this chapter around your line: "my cute student"  
> I hope you like it! :)
> 
> comments are love.  
> have fun reading!  
> 

Kakashi vs. Pain 

Kakashi sighed as Yamato charged into the scene and apologized to him about not protecting Naruto enough. He knew that Yamato still felt like he didn’t do an adequate job at protecting Naruto before Pains attack. Yamato told him again and again, how sorry he was and that he would never again “let anything happen to Senpais precious Student”. Kakashi made sure that Yamato understood that it was not acceptable to let anything happen to Naruto. Protecting his cute student was most important. Yamato bowed and nodded dutifully. After Pain Kakashi was angry and they haven’t spoken for some time. Yamato tried to apologize many times until Naruto told Kakashi that it wasn’t Yamato’s fault that his sealing broke. During the fight with Pain Kakashi was taken down by Pain and Naruto just couldn't bear to think that his Sensei was dead. Especially after he lost Jiraiya-sama to Pain as well. He felt heart broken and hurt and it was his own fault to let it go this far. Naruto told him in confidence that when he thought that Kakashi was dead he couldn’t stop the Kyuubi from taking over. He was in such a dark place at that moment. They hugged for a long moment.

Kakashi ordered Yamato to return to the inn and repair the damage. Maybe he would be nicer to Yamato when they all got back to the village. Naruto was here with him after all. 

***** Flashback *****

Kakashi remembered his fight against Pain. His body had moved on his own when he realized that Naruto fought against all those enemies alone. He needed to be with him. Pain put black rods through Naruto’s hands and legs, so he was immobilized. He jumped into the battle without a second thought. Pain was standing in front of Naruto; his hand was raised and Kakashi didn’t have a second to think what Pain tried to do to Naruto. Kakashi concentrated his Chakra “Raikiri!!” 

Pain jumped back. Surprised that someone would come to the rescue of the Jinjuriki or maybe he was surprised that somebody was still alive and had enough energy to still put up a fight. 

Well he had a little bit Chakra left and he would put up a fight for as long as he could. He wouldn’t give up Naruto. 

“Reinforcements?”

“Why did you come here Kakashi-Sensei? Please hurry and leave!”

“I won’t let you stand here alone. This time I will be with you. I don’t care if I die here today, but I can’t let my cute student die before he becomes Hokage and all his dreams become true.” 

He took a fighting stance focusing on defending Naruto. 

In a quick move Kakashi turned his body, concentrated lightning Chakra in his right arm and cut through two rods. After he cut through the rods, he felt Pains Jutsu grab a hold of him and he was pushed 20 meters away from Naruto who was screaming “Kakashi!” He pushed himself up again and tried to get closer to Naruto again. But with such an enemy it would be difficult. 

“Doton! Doryuuheki!” The earth Jutsu put a distance between them but Kakashi only had a few moments to collect himself. “Summoning Jutsu!” He called his Ninken but he knew that even if he made it closer to Pain, it would be difficult to get as close to Naruto as possible to get those rods out. 

“Yo, Boss!” 

“Pakkun. We are in the worst possible situation. We need to get closer to Naruto. Get underground. Hurry!” 

The Ninken looked around, nodded, and disappeared. 

Kakashi only had a few seconds to catch his breath. He didn’t have that much Chakra to begin with but now he felt that he was almost at his limit. He focused his Chakra in his hand. “Chidori!” With that he ran towards Pain. “Now!” He yelled, to call his Ninken. The pack jumped at Pain. They were able to grab him and hold him down for a moment. Kakashi ran towards Naruto and cut through two more rods

"I will get you out of here. I will not let them have you. – “He panted as he saw that there was only one rod left. The one that kept Naruto’s hands down. “One more!” 

“Kakashi-Sensei!” There was hope and panic in Naruto’s voice. His blue eyes watched his Sensei and blew wide open as the older man was pulled away from him. Kakashi suddenly realized that Pains Jutsu grabbed him again.

“Kakashiii!!” 

From his peripheral gaze he realized that the Ninken must have made an escape because he couldn’t see them anymore. He fell and when his back hit the hard ground he thought that this would be it. This would be the day he would die. He tried to turn his head to where Naruto was. He could still hear him calling his name. 

“Kakashiii!!” 

He saw Pain above him. 

Then there was an enormous pain in his abdomen. 

And then there was only darkness. 

******

He remembered that moment when Katsuya-sama told them that Naruto was on his way back to the village. Kakashi felt like a ton had been lifted off his chest. Naruto was alive and well. He survived the fight with Pain and would be back in the village soon. Kakashi slowly stood up. “Katsuya-sama how is Naruto doing right now?”

“He is tired and low on Chakra but otherwise unharmed.”

“Thank you, Katsuya-sama. Gai, Sakura… Please stop fussing. Yamato stop worrying. Everyone! I will look for Naruto and bring him back to the village. Please, find Tsunade-sama and take care of the others. We have to get our friends back.” 

Kakashi realized that he had to take charge of the situation or otherwise he wouldn’t be able to leave and look for Naruto. 

“Maah! My eternal Rival! I am so happy to see the glorious spirit of youth has not left you! Yosh everyone! Lee, Ten Ten get ready! Neji stop worrying so much about Hinata, she seems just fine! My dear Rival, you can count on us!” 

Gais' exuberant nature made Kakashi smile under his mask. “Thank you Gai. I will be back soon.” 

Kakashi’s body was still aching everywhere from the fight against Pain, but that didn’t matter to him. All that mattered to him was getting to Naruto. He could feel Naruto’s Chakra, but it was quite weak. He felt how his feet moved faster over the mossy ground of the forest. He really wished he could run a bit faster. If he only had a bit more Chakra – 

He was getting closer and suddenly all that mattered, all that he could see was blond hair, a tired looking face, and half-closed blue eyes. Naruto leaned against a tree and it looked like he would pass out any minute now. Kakashi jogged over the last meters that separated them and caught the young shinobi.

“Good job, Naruto.” 

Kakashis felt the weight of Naruto’s body against his back and he felt how all the worries he felt hours before disappeared. Now that Naruto was back, Kakashi realized how his whole body relaxed. 

“Kakashi-Sensei. You are alright… I was so scared.” 

“Just lean on me.”

He felt Naruto’s body melt against his back and how he pressed his face against his masked cheek. Naruto wrapped his arms around Kakashi’s shoulders to hold onto the other man. Slowly he walked through the woods with a familiar weight on his back. 

“Kakashi-Sensei… I wanted to ask you something.” 

“Yes?” 

“Why did you come… I mean… Pain … Why did you try to fight him off?”

Kakashi’s grip on Naruto’s legs tightened. 

“You are my cute student, Naruto. You think I would let you face such a threat alone?”

“Mah, Sensei. I was so worried when you suddenly showed up. I can feel everybody’s Chakra in Sennin Mode, you know, Dattebayo! And I knew that you didn’t have that much Chakra left… That’s why I wanted you to leave.” 

“I would have come to defend you even if I didn’t have any Chakra at all.” 

“Baka Sensei.” Naruto buried his face in Kakashi’s neck. Kakashi chuckled. 

“I told you before, I want to see how you become Hokage and how you fulfill all your dreams.” 

Naruto’s face was burning. His arms tightened around Kakashi’s neck as he tried to hide his face completely in Kakashi’s flack jacket. 

“Bakakashi-Sensei! That means that you are not allowed to die! Dattebayo!” He grumbled loudly. 

“Yes, yes. Understood.” He smiled under his mask and carried the blond hero back to the village.

*** Flashback end *** 

Their dynamic slightly changed after Pain. But only ever so slightly, because they already grew much closer since Naruto returned from his training trip with Jiraiya. They trained together now, and he joined Naruto for Ramen at least once a week. He realized how much he truly missed the blond while he was gone for those three long years. They didn’t talk about Pain or what happened. 

He wasn’t sure if he should say something. He would do it all over if it meant saving Naruto. 

.


	5. back in konoha

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the team gets back to the village  
> sai talks about friendship  
> Kakashi and Naruto have a sweet moment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comments are love  
> have fun reading.

Back in the village

Naruto felt drained when they returned to the village. Not only because he felt sick the entire way back to Konoha, but because he couldn’t stop thinking about Sasuke’s words.    
They had to stop several times because Naruto couldn’t run as fast as the others – his stomach felt too upset by Sakura’s poisoned Kunai.    
He woke up to stare at the white sterile ceiling of the hospital.

***

Kakashi made them stop to wake the sleeping group of shinobi that he left behind.    
They found Akamaru, Kiba and Sai under the same tree that Kakashi left them. Kakashi told Sakura to wake them up. He put the read haired woman down and took a look at Naruto. He definitely didn’t look too good.

At one point Sai had to gather Naruto on his back and carry his friend the way back to the village. Sai didn’t mind though. As soon as Naruto was on Sai’s back, Naruto fell asleep. It seemed as if the poison was taking its toll on Naruto after all.    
Kakashi, Kiba and Lee almost couldn’t hold their laughter as Sai started asking Sakura all about the importance of being close to their comrades and friends, and if being close to Naruto like this would improve their friendship.    
Sakura was grumbling and huffing. “Sai! Stop this!”

“But I really need to know, Sakura-san.”

“Sai! Of course, you are friends with Naruto. We are on the same Team! Why do you keep asking such weird questions? You should stop reading those books that Kakashi-Sensei keeps getting for you. Sensei, this is your fault!”

Kakashi snickered.

“But I don’t understand, Sakura-san. The books are telling me that friendship is considered when you feel close to someone. Someone that you wish to spend time with. Someone that you like. Someone that makes you feel cherished, that understands and accepts you just the way you are. –“

The group was quiet until Kakashi spoke up. “So what's the problem, Sai? That definition is very good. Do you feel like you have found a friend like that?”

Sai had a secure hold on Naruto on his back as he jumped through the trees, surrounded by his comrades. They were almost at the border of fire country. They would be home soon.

“I think so. But when I read this I got confused. I don’t understand why Naruto is so stubborn to get Sasuke back. I thought that this definition was supposed to be considered both ways?” The group fell quiet. Even Lee, with his excited and boisterous nature, didn’t dare to speak up.

Kakashi felt the tension in the air. He would like to hear Sakura’s thoughts on this. Since Sai was just relearning his emotions and hence felt much more open to question the behavior of people, it was clear to him that Sasuke’s behavior was not what one would consider friendship or camaraderie or anything like that. He tried to think of a way to explain to Sai that it was difficult and that there were many different ways to categorize friendship and rivalry and so on, but as he was trying to get his thoughts in order he heard Sakura talk.

“You are right. That is not how a friendship should be. You are a much better friend to Naruto than Sasuke ever was. I tried to be strong and help Naruto today… but I failed. Sasuke tried to kill Naruto today… again. I don’t know what I would do if he really killed Naruto. Friendship is supposed to be just like you explained it. Just like you read about it in that book. A friend is someone that you cherish, that you like to spend time with – and someone that accepts you just the way you are – with all your flaws. Someone who will always be there for you.” Kakashi couldn’t believe that Sakura actually said that. He always believed that the girl was blind to reason when it came to Sasuke and to accepting Sai into the team. But hearing her say those things made him very happy. As a Sensei he felt very proud of the young woman she had become.

“Sakura-san, thank you for saying that.”

The other members of the group also smiled proudly at Sakuras words.

“Yes, Sakura-san, I also wish to say that the kindness and youthful joy of your words touched my heart! I wish that Naruto-kun was awake! I am sure that he would agree with every word.”

Kiba laughed at Lees  _ ‘youthful’  _ speech. “Well, I am not so sure that he would agree with EVERY word, but he would definitely agree with what Sakura said about friendship. I have to say though, that I AGREE about you being a better friend to him than Sasuke… But that’s just my opinion, man.”

Sai felt himself blush. He was happy. When Kakashi-Sensei asked him if he found a friend, he thought about Naruto. He hoped that Naruto also thought about him as a good friend. He realized that he felt hurt when he read the book “Friendships and other close Relationships in Society”, because that definition made him think alot about his team and especially about Naruto. Naruto was the one that he felt very close to, and the one that he would like to build a closer friendship with. But as he got closer to his team, he realized what lengths the blond would go to, to get his old teammate back to Konoha. Sai did his research and the more he learned about Sasuke the more he got confused. He thought that Kakashi-Sensei wanted him to study emotions and feelings and that being close to his new team would help him do that, but he was so confused about what was going on in Team 7.

Nothing of those definitions in that book seemed to apply and nothing made sense to him. Naruto ran after that old teammate of his who constantly tried to kill him, who hurt him and Sakura-san all the time and left them in an emotional unstable state. He registered how Kakashi-Sensei and Yamato always had to take care of them whenever Sasuke was mentioned and how they always huddled together when they thought that nobody would watch and cried about their lost friend.

Naruto was a very emotional being. Contrary to him who had to learn every emotion and feeling the hard way, he still tried to get closer to his teammates. He wished that he could stay with Team 7. He wished that he could be a friend to Naruto and that his new Team would find some peace. Sometimes when he was alone at home and was silently painting, he thought about his Team. He wished that Naruto would forget about Sasuke and look at him and tell him ‘I am so glad you joined our team. You are a true friend. My best friend.’

“Thank you, Kiba-san. I hope to be a good friend to Naruto-kun.”

Kakashi smiled under his mask. He was proud of Sais development.

They crossed the border of the fire country. They would be home soon. “Get ready, we are crossing the border.” Kakashi called to his team.

“Yes!” They moved a bit faster behind Kakashi who took the lead again. He wanted to get the group back to Konoha as fast as possible. He was getting tired as well and was looking forward to some peace and quiet. The rest of their travel was, thankfully, uneventful and quiet. The group hurried through the woods and when they finally arrived at the huge gates of Konoha, Kakashi heard loud groans from everyone in the group. 

Lee was glad that they made it back to the village. He excused himself to look for Gai-Sensei. He wanted to tell him immediately that he was back. Kakashi only nodded and let the young shinobi leave.

“Kiba you are excused as well. Get some rest. Sakura you too. I will file the reports. Sai, you will stay with me. We will take Naruto to the hospital, but first I must take that woman to the Interrogations-Unit.” There were no objections from Kiba and Sakura. They nodded, thanked Kakashi and left. Sai secured his blond teammate on his back and followed his Captain towards the Interrogation-Unit of Konoha. Kakashi had made sure to wake the red haired woman as soon as they entered the village. She was quiet and didn’t say much.

Sai wasn’t sure how to feel about that woman. She was a member of Sasuke's old team. Which actually made her an enemy to Konoha and an enemy of Narutos. He eyed the woman warily. She could potentially be very dangerous to Naruto.

“Sai, after we met Ibiki-san, I will take Naruto to the hospital. You should also go home and get some rest then.” Sai nodded and dutifully followed Kakashi to the Interrogation-Unit, where Ibiki took the woman from them.

“Thank you Kakashi-san. We will take it from here. We will get all the information out of her, don’t worry.” Kakashi nodded.

“Please contact me if you find out anything important.” Both men bowed respectfully. Ibiki left with his team to take Sasuke's comrade into the new rebuilt interrogation building. Kakashi turned to Sai, who still held the sleeping Naruto on his back.

“Thank you for carrying Naruto, Sai. I will take him now.”

“Of course, Kakashi-Sensei.” Carefully the sleeping Shinobi was handed over to Kakashi who took him into his arms and made sure that his precious charge was resting peacefully in his arms and against his chest. Kakashi moved Naruto's face against his right shoulder.

“I will take him to the hospital now. You are free to go. Get some rest, Sai. I will contact you when Naruto is feeling better and we get our next mission.”

“I understand. Thank you.” With that Sai was dismissed. Sai felt calm and at peace with the knowledge that Kakashi-Sensei would take care of Naruto. He turned away from the Interrogation-Unit and started walking towards his apartment.

Kakashi watched Sai walk away and sighed. Now that everyone was dismissed, Sasuke's comrade was with Ibiki, he could finally take care of Naruto. He looked at the blond head that was resting against his shoulder. The 17 year old was heavily resting in his arms, but Kakashi was glad about the familiar weight against his body.    
He slowly made his way to the rebuild Hospital and hoped that Tsunade or Shizune would be able to take a look at Naruto as soon as possible.

** 

“Tsunade-sama!”

“What is it Shizune?”

“The medical team of the Hospital called and asked if you could come to the hospital. You are needed.”

“Why? Do you see all that paperwork? They need to do it by themselves.”

“Kakashi-san just got back from his mission and brought Naruto to the Hospital. He is unconscious. It seems like he was cut with a poison – Tsunade-sama?! Where are you going?”

“Why didn’t you say that Naruto was at the Hospital?! I have to go.” Tsunade was worried when she was called to the Hospital because her Gaki needed medical attention. She hurried through the busy streets of Konoha to get to the Hospital. She furiously entered the Hospital and called at the staff.

“Where is he?!” Tsunade yelled when she wildly opened the doors of the hospital. (The staff would more like say, that the Hokage almost broke the new doors as she entered like a furie).

“Tsunade-sama! You came! We thought it would be best if –“ A young woman was brave enough to walk up to Tsunade and tried to talk to the angry Hokage.

“Shut it! Where’s that Hatake-boy? Where did you put Naruto?” she marched through the Hospital demanding attention.

“Hatake-san is with Naruto-kun. We put Naruto-kun in the last room on the right, Tsunade-sama!” The poor woman ran after the Hokage who seemed to emanate a dangerous aura.

“Take me to him!” The young woman immediately moved to take the Hokage to Naruto's room. She opened the door for Tsunade and moved to the side to let her enter. Tsunade entered and stood still for a moment. She looked at Kakashi still form with a soft smile on her lips. Kakashi was sleeping in a chair that he pulled up next to Naruto's bed, with his head lightly tipping to his right shoulder. He was tightly holding onto Naruto's hand. Tsunade looked back at the young medic “When was he brought in?”

“Just 20 Minutes ago, Tsunade-sama.”

“Good. I will take care of them. Thank you, you may leave.” The young woman smiled and after a quick glance at Naruto and Kakashi she left the Hokage. Tsunade moved into the room. She moved next to Kakashi and softly touched his shoulder.

“Hatake.” He slightly jumped at the sudden touch.

“Hokage-sama.”

“What happened?”

Kakashi let go of Naruto's hand and tiredly moved his hands across his face. “I don’t even know where to start Tsunade-sama…”

“Let me take a look at Naruto and you tell me what the hell happened. I will also take a look at you too. – No complaints. I can feel how low your Chakra Levels are. Start talking, Hatake.”

Tsunade moved closer to Naruto's bed and gently touched his forehead. She moved the soft blond hair away from his eyes. He looked so young and innocent when he was sleeping like that. She tried to determine what had happened to him and felt the poison in his body's system. “Hmm, poison?”

“Yes. Sakura tried to kill Sasuke by herself, with a poisoned Kunai. But she accidently cut Naruto. He fell asleep on the way back. I was worried about him, so I took him to the Hospital. Naruto always heals fast, but since Sakura actually prepared the Kunai to kill a man, I wasn’t sure what to do…”

Tsunade gravely nodded. She already got a picture of what had happened. “I will talk with Sakura about that. You and I will also talk more about what happened with Sasuke. But first, I will take care of you boys.”

Kakashi huffed at being called a boy, but nodded dutifully, “Yes, Tsunade-sama.”

She looked at the silver-haired man. “Don’t worry, he is going to be alright.” Healing Chakra was making her hands glow. She was putting her hands over Naruto's stomach. The young shinobi was troubled with an uneasy sleep, but as soon as Tsunade's healing Jutsu was flowing over him, Naruto's face relaxed and his body was going lax.

“It seems that the Kyuubi was already healing him. But you were right, the poison took a toll on Naruto. Thank god, that he heals fast.”

Kakashi felt relieved. “Thank you, Tsunade-sama. What a relief.”

***

They put a second bed in Naruto's room and as soon as Kakashi's face hit the pillows he was asleep. He fought against the exhaustion on the mission. He used the Mangekyo Sharingan against Sasuke and that always took a toll on his body. Several hours later, when he woke up he registered that it was dark outside and that it was very quiet in the Hospital.    
He turned his head to take a look at the bed next to his. He wanted to jump up as soon as his eyes fell on the empty sheets. He ripped the sheets from his body and untangled his legs. His naked feet hit the cold floor and a little panic spread through his heart.

“Sensei.” He heard Naruto's gentle voice from the dark corner of the door. “Sorry did I wake you? I was just getting something to drink.”

“Ha... Naruto.” They looked at each other and Naruto turned to close the door. Instead of walking back to his own bed, he stepped closer to Kakashi, who was still sitting on the edge of his bed. Naruto sat next to him. The room was dark and the only light that illuminated them was the gloomy light that the moon was shining on the village. Kakashi didn’t move. He felt Naruto's closeness soothing and intense at the same time. Naruto sat very still next to him and fiddled nervously with his hands on his lap.

“You were worried just now… weren’t you? That I was gone or something? I saw it in your eyes… It was the same as when you came to save me from … Pain.”

Kakashi felt a lump form in his throat. Of course Naruto was right. He felt terrified just now, when he saw the empty bed. He was ready to jump out of his bed and search the whole damn village, and fight off any enemy. Would this be the moment when they talked about what happened when Pain attacked? Kakashi didn’t feel ready for this, but he knew that Naruto deserved an answer. A heavy sigh escaped him. “Yes…” He lowered his head.

“I am sorry that I always make you worry, Sensei.” Naruto leaned against Kakashi's strong form. “I don’t mean to worry you so much, you know. It’s not my fault that the Akatsuki and Madara are after me… dattebayo….” He could almost see the younger shinobis pout.

Kakashi leaned his head against Narutos. The silver hair brushed against the sunny blond locks.

“I know, Naruto.”

“I worry about you too, you know, Sensei?”

Kakashi chuckled. “Are you reading Sais books too, Naruto?”

“What? No! I mean it, Sensei!”

“Yes, yes, I get it.”

Naruto nuzzled his face in Kakashi's shoulder. “If you… after fighting Pain… I don’t think I would have survived losing you – ” Naruto took in a breath, as if he just realized what he said. Quickly he collected himself. “ – Sensei.”

Kakashi was quiet and closed his eyes. He pulled Naruto into an embrace. “I told you before, that even if I had died that day, I wouldn’t have regretted it, if it meant saving you. I am your Sensei. You are my student. I would gladly give my life to protect and save you. You mean so mu- “ Kakashi stopped himself there. Where was this talk heading?

Naruto snuggled into Kakashi's chest. He was so close to Kakashi. He moved his arms around the older man and held onto his strong back. The smell of Kakashi was all around him. He felt slightly dizzy. Maybe there was still some of the poison in his system? Maybe the Kyuubi didn’t heal him completely?    
“I would never forgive you, if you gave your life for me… I want you to live and watch me become Hokage. I was terrified when I thought that Pain killed you, you know?”

Kakashi softly combed his fingers through the blond hair. Just a few more moments of being close to Naruto wouldn’t hurt. They were still sitting next to each other on the edge of Kakashi's bed, but their upper bodies had turned so that Kakashi was able to hug the younger one closer to his body. It seemed that here, in the darkness of the hospital room they were free to talk about their feelings and their fears. Kakashi gently caressed Naruto's back.

“I am sorry that you were scared. Naruto – do you understand why I worry about you so much?” he felt Naruto nod against his chest.

“I think so… It’s because I’m a Jinchuriki, right? Because of the Akatsuki and Madara.”

“That’s part of it... You must understand that if they get their hands on you, they will kill you. Remember what happened to Gaara. They already killed other Jinjuriki. I don’t want that to happen to you. Do you understand? Please, be more careful.” Kakashi felt Naruto shiver against his chest. He felt something wet on his shirt.

“I am sorry, Sensei. I am sure that you would have so much less to worry about if you had a different Student.”

Kakashi reached for Naruto's face and gently lifted his chin up so that Naruto had to look at him. “I don’t want a different student. You are perfect the way you are."

Naruto looked at him teary-eyed. “Senseiii....”

Kakashi smiled at him and gently wiped at Naruto's snotty nose. "Now will you calm down?"

"Yes..."

“You want to know why I took you guys as my Genin?”

“Yes!”

Kakashi leaned back at the headboard of the hospital bed. He patted the space next to him. Naruto smiled a little and moved closer to Kakashi’s side. He cuddled close and felt Kakashi's arm around him. Kakashi grabbed the sheets and pulled them around them.

“I was in a very dark place at that time. My teammates died and I also lost my Sensei. My parents were dead for some time and I felt like I lost my way… So I joined the Anbu Black Corps – “

“Woooaaa- Sensei. Stop there for a second. That’s some sad stuff!” Naruto cuddled closer to Kakashi and hugged him. “You know Sensei, if you are sad, you should just tell me. I will take you to Ichiraku and we will do some fun stuff. Just you and me. Because I know that secretly I was always your favorite. You can tell your ‘ _ cute student _ ’ because, who would have thought that you would use Pain to admit that I was always your favorite student, Dattebayo!”

Kakashi chuckled and huffed. He felt a little embarrassed. “haha, yes, Naruto… I guess that was pretty depressing. But let me finish, will you? The Sandaime took me out of the Anbu because he felt that I needed a change in my life and that there was too much darkness in my heart. He decided that it would be best, to give me a Genin team. But as I tested some of the Genin I realized that this would be quite hard and – “

“Sensei – does that mean that there were other Students before us?!” Naruto almost shouted scandalized.

“Be quiet, will you, it's in the middle of the night! No, I didn’t have any other students before you.” Now it was getting comical. “They all failed the test.”

“Oh!”

“Yes. Are you relieved now?”

“Of course! I thought that I had to be jealous of some other Students!” Naruto simply put that statement in the room as if it was the most normal thing to say.

“Baka.” Kakashi whispered amused.

It was getting quiet in the room again.

The only sound that could be heard was the sound of some insects outside of the hospital building.

“So, you decided to take us as you Genin?”

“Well, you passed the test.”

“Kakashi-Sensei,… do you still feel sad?”

“Sometimes I miss them very much, but the Sandaime was right... I have a new team now. He knew that I wouldn’t have any time to wallow in sadness if I took  _ YOU  _ as a student.” He gently touched Naruto's head. “Your smile saved me.”

Naruto looked up to him and smiled sweetly. His cheeks were a lovely shade of red.

*

“You didn’t answer, Sensei.” Naruto's voice sounded sluggish and heavy with sleep.

“Was there a question?” Kakashi whispered as he pressed his masked face into Naruto's wild hair.

“I am your favorite, right?” He felt Naruto snuggle more into his side, he was already drifting off to sleep again.

Naruto's body heat was making him drowsy and sleepy too. “Yes. You are…”

Naruto smiled as he fell asleep.

‘You are everything to me.’ With that on his mind, Kakashi fell asleep as well.

***


	6. tsunade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kakashi and Naruto in hospital. Tsunade wants to take care of her boys but all Naruto wants to do is finally spend some time with Kakashi-Sensei!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks and Kudos to ANIKET0S!  
> People, go and read the new story: XIV: Noise  
> I loved it! Thanks for mentioning my story in your notes i was giggling like a crazy person xD
> 
> kudos and comments are love <3 <3  
> have fun with this chapter, i love you all.

Slowly the village woke and so was the Hokage. Tsunade slowly got up and got ready for another hectic day in her beloved village. There was much to do. She had to supervise the rebuilding and construction works throughout the village and take care of the impending war with Madara. During the fight with Pain she was badly hurt and was bed ridden for a few weeks, but now that she was up and healthy again, nothing could stop her. She got out of bed and stretched. 

_ First of all, I have to go to the hospital and take a look at those two idiots. Naruto is probably already driving the staff crazy. _ Tsunade giggled and went to the bathroom to get ready.

Half an hour later it knocked on her door. As always, it was Shizune, ready to pick her up and to dutifully tell the Hokage what she had to do. They were walking towards the hospital as Shizuna was babbling on about what the agenda for today would be. “Tsunade-samaaa! Are you even listening? This is really important!” 

“Yes! YES! I am listening, Shizune! Read the letters and reply and talk to the construction company. I got it. Tss! So annoying! But first I have to check on Naruto and Kakashi in the hospital. I just hope that Naruto is not driving everyone completely nuts.” She was laughing and started walking a bit faster. Happiness was making her heart sing at the thought of seeing her Gaki. Shizune smiled politely and hurried along. 

They entered the busy hospital a few minutes later and a nurse was almost running into them. “Hokage-sama! Shizune-san! How may I help you? Is something wrong?” The young nurse bowed deeply to the Hokage and her assistant and tried to remember if all her reports were correctly filed or if there was anything else, she may have done wrong.

“Rise. Everything should be fine. I am here to see Uzumaki Naruto and Hatake Kakashi. As I recall they are in the same room? I know my way.” Tsunade was already swiftly walking down the hall and turned right to open the last door on the right. The nurse had followed them to Naruto's room and suddenly the young woman got very anxious.

“Hokage-sama!” 

“Yes?” 

“You shouldn’t be going in there!” 

Tsunade turned away from the room and took a hard look at the nurse. “Excuse me? Why not? Is something wrong with them?” 

The nurse gritted her teeth and nervously clenched her shirt between her hands. “Well… you see. They are still asleep!” 

Tsunade was getting angry. Had that woman never seen two sleeping men? What the hell was she doing in a hospital?! “What the… I have a busy day, woman. Move aside! I need to see Naruto now.” She pushed the nurse away and moved back to open the door. She pushed it open and stepped inside the bright room. Slowly the sun was filtering through the windows. As she walked into the room her gaze fell onto the bed closer to the window where Naruto should be sleeping. It was empty. She felt the veins on her head pop. Her head slowly turned to the other bed. Tsunade felt her blood boil and her Chakra rise to a dangerous level. 

Her Gaki was closely cuddled into the bed with Kakashi. Naruto was sprawled all across Kakashi's bed. And across Kakashi himself. His face was pressed into Kakashi's chest as he lazily drooled on his shirt. He looked completely at ease and happy with himself and the world. Naruto was softly mumbling and as he was softly cuddling deeper into Kakashi, as his arm was moving a bit under the sheets. Tsunade was close to hyperventilating as she realized that they not only shared the bed, but also the blankets and that Naruto somehow was holding Kakashi's hand while they slept. Kakashi was softly snoring as he pressed his masked face into the blond hair. His arm was gently holding the young shinobi close to him. One of his naked feet was peeking out from under the sheets.

“Tsu- Tsunade- Tsunade-sa- sama?” Shizune was shivering as she stood behind the Hokage who could barely contain her rage. Her face was slowly turning red. 

“Narutooooo… Kakashiiiii!” Tsunade growled dangerously low. 

Shizune felt the killing-intent from the blond Hokage and yelped. She thought about the quickest way out. She could run, she could also jump out of the window… Maybe she should leave that option for Hatake-san?

“Hm?” Naruto lazily opened his eyes and yawned. He stretched his body that was still tightly pressed against Kakashis. His movement woke up Kakashi who yawned too. “Naruto, stop moving so – Hokage-sama!” The silver-haired man slowly opened his eye only to almost tumble out of bed when he realized that Tsunade stood at the foot of his bed and that Naruto was still practically sprawled on top of him.  _ The worst  _ **_possible_ ** _ situation! Minato-Sensei, forgive me! _

“Hatake!” 

“Oh god! NO! Hokage-sama please, let me explain!” 

“Tsunade-baa-chan what are you doing?!” 

Suddenly there was screaming everywhere and Nurses came running to Uzumaki Naruto's room, scared that something might have happened to the villages hero, but when they saw that their Hokage was simply having one of her fits, they decided that it would be best to be very quiet and leave their village leader and the others alone. 

Tsunade's punches and kicks hurt more than any attack of any enemy that Naruto ever fought with. That was clear. Kakashi and Naruto sat on the hospital bed, side by side. Kakashi gently touched his nose –  _ ‘That’s broken for sure… that woman has a temper.’ _ He sighed and immediately regretted that. Naruto held his bruised cheek and huffed. 

“You know, you could have just woken us up? Dattebayo. That hurts! What did you think happened anyway?! Pfff! I couldn’t sleep because I was thinking so much about what happened… I was worried about … - Anyway, Kakashi-Sensei told me a story and I was able to sleep! Maaah! Kakashi-Sensei may read a lot of porn, but he’s not a complete pervert. Dattebayo!” 

Tsunade's gaze immediately fell on Kakashi, who was blushing hard under her watchful eye. “Aha. Is that so Kakashi?” Her eye was twitching and the vein on her forehead was positively popping. 

Kakashi could feel the killing-intent radiating from her. He swallowed. “Yes, Hokage-sama.” He nodded respectfully and grunted in pain. Damn broken nose. Her gaze was fixed on him. He tried to hold it. He felt uncomfortable. Like cellophane. Like she could see everything that he was made of. All of his feelings bare before her. He lowered his eyes. 

She grunted and clenched her teeth. “Naruto how about you grab some breakfast outside? Shizune, you should go with him.” 

Naruto huffed. He was clearly not amused by this situation, but he was hungry. He tried to defy her with his looks which amused her more than actually provoke any anger in her. “Come on, I have to talk to Kakashi for a second, punk.” 

Naruto looked back at Kakashi who gave him a smile and nodded at the door. “Go, get something to eat. Tsunade-sama and I will talk and then I’ll be out in a second.” 

It seemed like that did the trick. Naruto smiled and grabbed Shizune by the hand to drag her out of the room. “Come on Shizune-nee-san! I AM STARVING!” 

** 

The door was closing and Kakashi felt nervous to be alone with Tsunade. 

“So? Spill it. I went to Intel last night. Ibiki told me about that woman, Karin, that you brought back to the village. She was a member of Sasuke's old team. But we haven’t had time yet to talk about what actually happened before you went after Sasuke. It seems that all of you simply do what you want when I’m not looking.” 

Kakashi bowed his head “That is not true Tsunade-sama. At least I hope not…”

“Ts. Stop it, Kakashi! I am angry enough as it is! Now, I already said last night that I will speak to Sakura myself about taking off on her own and going after Sasuke. That girl has some nerve… “ 

Kakashi felt guilt creep up on him again. “I am sorry Hokage-sama. As leader of Team 7 it was clearly my mistake to not realize what her intentions were. I should have kept a closer eye on her. I was too preoccupied with Naruto at that moment. We went after the Raikage, after it was announced that Sasuke was in the new Bingo Book because he attacked Raikage-sama’s brother, the Jinchuriki of the Hachibi. Naruto begged the Raikage not to kill Sasuke.” 

Tsunade clenched her fists. “I can already imagine what he said. The situation with Sasuke is only getting worse to be completely honest with you. How is Naruto doing?” 

Kakashi's brow was drawn together in frustration. “He is hurt, obviously. The confrontation with Sasuke was more than hostile. Sasuke told him that he wished he would never see him again, and that his only goal in life, now that Itachi is dead, was the destruction of Konoha. I have never seen Sasuke like this. I guess Naruto and Sakura need some time to come to terms with this... frankly speaking, so do I.” There was tension in the air. The heavy talk between Kakashi and Tsunade, made them anxious and the Hokage felt the good mood that she had when she had woken up this morning, had disappeared completely now. 

“I understand. I guess that he wishes that we would take Sasuke out of the Bingo Books?”

“I guess, you know how Naruto is... but he hasn’t said anything like that. Since we got back, he hasn’t spoken about Sasuke at all. I guess it would be a good time for you and the council to actually talk about Sasuke and tell the team and the village what will happen now. – I know… but… I guess what I mean is … they need to know, and they need closure. They need to move on.” 

Tsunade nodded heavily. She had hoped that this might somehow find a happy ending, but the longer she watched Naruto and Sakura run after her lost teammate, she knew that this would end in tears. “I will talk with the elders and with the council tomorrow.” 

Kakashi bowed his head again. “Thank you, Hokage-sama.”

“But you know that they will not decide on a welcome back party for Sasuke. Prepare your team, Kakashi.” 

“Yes. Hokage-sama.” He felt the words and their heavy weight in his heart.

“Ts. There is something else I want to talk about, Kakashi. You know… “ 

Kakashi immediately felt the tension in him built up. His head was still bowed. He couldn’t bring himself to look at the Hokage. Even though nothing had happened between Naruto and him he felt like a lecherous teacher lusting after his sexy blond student, the forbidden fruit. He quickly shook off that thought as Tsunade eyed him with a skeptical thought. 

“I am not blind. I see the way you look at him.”

“Tsunade-sama,… you are m- mistaken... – ” He was rambling and starting to stutter. This was not good. He felt how his hands were getting sweaty. She was standing too close to him and with her serious observing gaze he felt like she was staring right into him. Seeing everything. All his secrets.

“I am older than you. I have much more experience. I know how things work. And if you believe that this is the first time that a Mentor falls in love with his student – you are seriously mistaken. This is not shocking to me – I am not blind. I have to admit that he’s quite the attractive young man now. I understand why you feel that way –“ 

Oh god. He could believe that he got that kind of  _ TALK  _ from Tsunade. His face was burning up. He tried to sit still on the edge of the bed and clenched the sheets in his fists. Suddenly he felt like a little boy again who was being scolded by his teacher. He felt absolutely paralyzed. 

“I’ve watched you two for quite some time now.” 

“Tsunade-sama! Please, I must stop you right there. There is nothing of that sort. You misunderstood the entire situation. Please forgive me, if my behavior towards Naruto was inadequate. It is true, we are very close, but only because I feel like I have to protect him more than anyone else, because he’s Minato-Sensei’s son. That is all. Naruto only sees me as his Sensei. We’ve become good friends since he returned from his training with Jiraiya-sama. There is absolutely nothing else!” 

Of course he had feelings for Naruto, he admitted that to himself quite some time ago, but he would never say that out loud. He would never lay a hand on Naruto and he would never harm him. His face must be bright red and flushed by the time he finished. 

Tsunade looked at him quietly amused. Her hands were on her hips and she had a sardonically grin on her face. “Is that so? Well, well. I am glad to hear that you two are such ‘ _ good friends _ ’ as you say. I know that you would never do anything to hurt Naruto. I trust you, Hatake.”  _ But you underestimate Naruto. Because I also see the way he starts looking at you.  _ Tsunade thought.

**

Before Kakashi could answer, the door was ripped open again and Naruto crashed into the room. In his arms he held two trays full of food and he strove into the room purposefully to get some of that food into Kakashi. The man looked at Naruto – glad that he survived ‘ _ the talk _ ’, and that Naruto saved him from further inquiries. He looked at Naruto and their eyes met. Naruto seemed to understand Kakashi's look as he sat down next to him and angrily glared up at Tsunade. 

“What is it punk?” Their heated gazes met, and it was like they were already fighting by just looking at each other. Kakashi sighed. He felt tired. It was way too early for all of that. And his nose was still hurting! He buried his face in his hands – bad mistake. He groaned. 

“What did you say to Kakashi-Sensei?!” 

“That’s none of your business, Gaki.” 

“Pah! Of course it is! Sensei looks like you put him through one of Ibiki-sans tortures!”

“That’s exactly how I feel right now…” He didn’t actually mean to say it out loud, but suddenly his lips moved. 

Tsunade threw her head back and laughed. “Good!” 

Kakashi groaned. “Thank you, Tsunade-sama…” 

“I actually came to take a look at you two. You were pretty hurt and low on Chakra last night when you got in. But I guess you should eat first, and I feel like Shizune is getting crazy if I don’t leave now and take care of some paperwork… I will see you later today. Kakashi, remember what we talked about. Gaki, behave yourself.” 

“What’s that supposed to mean?! I  _ almost  _ always behave.”

“That’s exactly what I mean. Try to stay out of trouble, will you?” 

“Yeees…” Everybody was chuckling at Naruto's drawn out and slightly annoyed answer. She gently ruffled his wild blond locks and turned around to leave the room. 

“Oh! I almost forgot. Since Yamato only just started rebuilding the temporary living quarters you will have to share your rooms with someone. Naruto would you mind sharing with one of your friends? Kakashi you too.” 

Naruto enthusiastically nodded his head and smiled at Tsunade with one of his beautiful brilliant smiles. “Tsunade-baa-chan!! Kakashi-Sensei and I could share! –“ He turned around to sweetly smile at Kakashi. Kakashi was starting to sweat again. He felt Tsunade's heated glare on his face and Naruto's hopeful and beautiful smile. “Right Sensei? We could share?” 

Kakashi was sure - that was the seventh circle of hell. 

“Tsunade-baa-chan, wouldn’t that be great?” Totally oblivious to the tension between Kakashi and Tsunade he started rambling about how great it would be if he could share rooms with Kakashi. Tsunade felt her eyes twitch. “Riiiight, that would be so great Naruto.” 

Naruto's eyes lit up. “So, you’d allow it, Baa-chan?” He jumped up from the bed to hug Tsunade.

“Only if Kakashi wants it too, Gaki.” She pointedly looked at him and her brow went up. “Ne, Kakashi?” Her arms were full of a smiling blond. Of course she would say yes. Her face was getting soft as she put her arms around Naruto. Actually she was mad a few seconds ago. She just couldn’t say no to Naruto. She sighed. That kid was her greatest weakness. 

“Sensei? Would you like to share a room with me?” Naruto was still holding onto Tsunade’s arm as he turned his head to look at Kakashi. His eyes full of hope and his cheeks a little flushed with the excitement and prospect of sharing a room with Kakashi. 

He wasn’t sure if actually saying  _ ‘say’  _ was an option. Because he wanted to. He was too scared of Tsunade and he valued his health. He carefully looked up to check for Tsunade’s reaction. He swallowed heavily. She was grimacing and then chuckled. She mouthed ‘it’s ok.’ to him. She nodded. 

He exhaled and nodded. “Yes, Naruto. Sure, why not.” 

Naruto looked at him with unhidden excitement. He grinned full of joy and jumped at him. “Yes! Thank you, Sensei!!” As he hung from Kakashi's neck he laughed full of young unabashed happiness. “Sensei, that is so great! You know, when we live together, I will take care of you, and you definitely won’t have time to be sad anymore!” 

Kakashi blushed a little at Naruto’s words. “Mah, Naruto.” 

Tsunade stood there and watched slightly amused at Naruto's behavior. She shook her head. She couldn’t believe that her little Gaki was already so grown up, that he gave his heart away. What reassured her was that he was still her same stupid Naruto, who has not even registered himself that he was in love. She giggled.  _ I can’t wait for the day he realizes… Those two seriously are driving me crazy. _ Tsunade thought.

Naruto finally let go of Kakashi and turned back to Tsunade. “Thank you Baa-chan!”

“Yes, yes. Just behave, you two. – Ahh… You two are giving me a headache! Shizune! I need a drink!” 

“What? Tsunade-sama it’s only ten?!” 

“So what?!” Tsunade felt seriously irritated by this morning so far. “SHIZUNEEE! We are leaving!” 

The blond angry Hokage stormed out of the room. Her assistant obediently ran after her. “Tsunade-samaaa! Please wait for me! What about the letters?!” 

**


	7. living arrangments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kakashi and Naruto are finally released from the hospital and move into their shared quarters. Naruto is very excited. Kakashi is pining. Sexy times and a shower.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the Kudos or your comments! I love you all so much!  
> Rating: I will change the rating as the story progresses. 
> 
> Kakashi and Naruto won't be having any sex before the shinobi-war-arc.  
> I want Naruto to be a bit older, and I think that he has to come to terms with his feelings for Kakashi, which he hasn't truly realized yet.

Kakashi and Naruto were released from the Hospital. Not a day too early if you ask Kakashi. Naruto didn’t do well with hospitals or being kept in a place for too long. Kakashi was getting restless too as he watched Naruto. 

Naruto was back to his energetic self, ready to bounce through the village with his sheer endless amount of Chakra. Kakashi smiled as he lazily walked behind him. Shizune visited them this morning to tell them that they were free to leave the hospital. Naruto screamed in joy. Kakashi chuckled lightly at the memory. Shizune fondly smiled at them and told Kakashi that their little apartment was ready for them to move in. She had also stocked their apartment with some basic food supplies, two Futons and some clothes. 

**

“Yeeeei! Sensei, we can move into OUR Apartment!” 

“Yes, Naruto. But please stop screaming! Your old Sensei has sensitive ears.” 

Naruto snorted and laughed. “Old? Haha!! You still kick my ass in training every day. “ 

Shizune giggled. “Naruto-kun, I have your keys. –“ She held out two silver keys that Naruto took from her. “One for you and one is for Kakashi-san.” 

“Thank you, Shizune-nee-san!” Naruto bowed quickly only to turn to Kakashi immediately and give him one of the keys. “Here you go, Kakashi-Sensei!” 

“Thank you very much, Shizune-San.” The Jonin politely said.

“No problem, Kakashi-san. I also came to tell you where your new apartment is located…-“ Shizune told them how to get to their new apartment. Naruto could barely concentrate because as looked at the little silver key in his hands he felt himself blush again. _Living with Kakashi-Sensei…_ He thought. 

Shizune soon took her leave and they all said their goodbyes. Naruto and Kakashi got ready to leave the hospital too. They got dressed and told the nurses on duty that they would leave now. They all bowed respectfully to Kakashi and Naruto and wished them a good day. The nurses blushed as Naruto and Kakashi walked out of the door. 

**

“It’s unfair don’t you think, Izumi-san?” A young medic-in-training walked up to the head-nurse on duty. She sighed. She had been on duty when Uzumaki-san and Hatake-san came to the Hospital three days ago and when the Hokage visited Uzumaki-san and Hatake-san in their hospital room. “What do you mean, Mira-san?”

“Well, it’s a shame that both of them are taken, ne? I mean, it’s pretty obvious, don’t you think? Uzumaki-san sleeping in Hatake-san’s bed… And I heard that they are moving in together now too!” Mira looked positively scandalized but also kind of amused “Can you believe it – Hokage-sama **allowed** it.” 

“Whaaaat?” Another medic, Kira, moved closer. “They are moving in **together**? It must be serious.” She looked dreamy. “Haaa, Hatake-san is so sexy. – All the good-looking men are taken. Uzumaki-san has such good taste… I have to give him credit for that. Hatake-san is such a man of honor. I heard that he tried to save Uzumaki-san during Pains attack! You heard what he did?” 

Mira squealed. “NO! What happened? How do you know?” 

Kira giggled. “One of the Hyuuga, who were fighting that day, was my patient a few days ago. He told me that he watched Hatake-san jump right into the battle with Pain! He was trying to defend Uzumaki-san! Mhm! I am telling you the truth… that’s what Hyuga-san told me!”

Izumi and Mira were gaping and looking at their friend like she had grown a second head. Izumi's face was getting all shades of red. She remembered the picture clearly as she walked into their room and saw them together, cuddled closely in Hatake-sans bed. They looked so closed and sweet. 

“Izumi-san! You are blushing!” The two young medics laughed. 

“Wha- what?! No! I was just thinking… That’s just so romantic.” 

The three women squealed and giggled. 

“I wanna know when they make it official!” Suddenly there was a shadow behind Izumi. She felt a chill run up her spine and her two colleges looked at her full of fear. 

“You twooooo… GET BACK TO WORK AND STOP GOSSIPING!!” Tsunade howled. 

The two stood up straight and bowed stiffly. “Yes, Hokage-sama!” They hurried away.

After the two medics left, she turned to Izumi. “And you… What were you talking about being so romantic?”

Izumi thought she would pass out. She felt sweat form on her forehead. She knew how protective the Hokage was of Uzumaki-san. Her lip was quivering. 

“Soooo..?” Tsunade was glaring at her. 

“Tsunade-sama I am so sorry! We were talking about Uzumaki-san’s and Hatake-san’s relationship!” She burst into tears. 

“Relationship?!!” Tsunade yelled in outrage. She took in a breath and tried to calm her nerves. Those two would be her death. She felt a migraine starting and the vein on her forehead popped. She gritted her teeth. She had to calm down. She looked at the young woman in front of her. 

“Now, calm down. Everything is alright. But just to clear this up. There is **NO** relationship. They simply live together. As you know, Yamato and the others from construction are still building the houses and the living quarters, so some people simply have to share rooms. Please don’t spread weird rumors. Ok?”

Izumi wiped over the eyes and her nose. With wide eyes she looked at her Hokage. “Oh. I am so sorry Hokage-same. We saw them together and they were so close… -“ 

Tsunade huffed and brushed some hair out of her face. “I know, I know… But you understand now that there is nothing going on?” 

She nodded and bowed deeply in front of Tsunade. “I apologize, Tsunade-sama! I gave you trouble! I also want to apologize in the name of my colleagues. Please accept!” 

Tsunade nodded and put her hands on her hip. 

“Well, no harm was done. Actually, I came for something different. I need to talk to you and the other medics and nurses. We need to prepare for the war, and I want you all to check our supplies.” 

Immediately Izumi's attention was only focused on Tsunade and the orders she was giving her. “Yes, Tsunade-sama. I will call them immediately. We will check the supplies. Do you have more orders, Hokage-sama?” 

“That is all for now. Also, I want you to attend the next war-council. You are the head-nurse, it is important that you know that is going on.”

Izumi lowered her head respectfully and obediently. “Yes, Hokage-sama.” Izumi felt honored that Tsunade asked her to come to the council meeting, but she also felt the pressure that such a position included. She hurried, to call all the other medics and nurses to the meeting with the Hokage. War was coming and she felt a shiver running through her body. She still had trouble sleeping sometimes. When her body shook with nightmares of Pains attack and the fear of losing one of her close friends, she woke up covered in cold sweat. Uzumaki-san saved them all that day, but she still remembered that loud crashes all around her, the screams as the enemy invaded Konoha. Was she prepared for a war? 

**

Kakashi and Naruto finally arrived at their new apartment. He stepped to the door and unlocked it. “Ready, Naruto?”

“Yes, yes, yes!” 

He laughed. “Well, let’s take a look.” 

He opened the door and moved inside. It was small, he had to admit that, but it was quite nice. It had a small entrance space where they could put their shoes and jackets and from where they stood Kakashi could already see that their apartment had a small living and kitchen area, which would probably soon be stuffed with Instant Ramen. _I need to buy vegetables_ . Kakashi felt irritated.  
They also had a little dining table that was big enough for the both of them. 

They moved inside and Kakashi closed the door. He took off his shoes and carefully placed them against the wall. Naruto shook his shoes off and simply let them fall to the side. Kakashi closed his eyes and huffed. He took Naruto's shoes too and put them next to his own. 

Naruto was already moving through the living room and took a close look at the kitchen. “This is so great, Sensei. Don’t you think?” Kakashi smiled at him. Naruto looked like he could bounce off the wall any second. “Let’s take a look at the rest.” 

The apartment had a small bathroom and just one other room which they would use as a bedroom. Naruto was blushing heavily at that. “Sen-Sensei, I am sorry. You should take the bedroom and I will sleep in the living room!” 

Kakashi was getting annoyed at that. “No, it doesn’t matter. The room is big enough for two Futons. We can easily fit them next to each other. I don’t mind that. We slept next to each other or shared rooms while we were on missions before. What do you say?” 

He could see how Naruto relaxed at that. He nodded “Mhm. I wouldn’t mind that.” 

“Great. Shizune said that she already took care of the shopping and got us some basic stuff. Please go and take a look if you can find our Futons. I will take a look at the kitchen.”

“Ok!” Naruto dashed off into their bedroom to look for their Futons and Kakashi went to look through the cabinets. He just hoped that Shizune bought them some vegetables. To his delight he found plenty. To his horror he found many packets of instant Ramen _._

 _I knew it. Well, now that I live here, I will stuff him with some healthy food. If he wants it or not._ Kakashi felt a mad smile creep onto his lips. 

“Kakashi-Sensei, I found our Fut- RAMEN!!!” Naruto yelled in joy as he saw the packages in the cupboard. “I love you, Shizune-nee-san!” 

Kakashi grunted at that comment. Naruto laughed as he hugged Kakashi. “Aw, Sensei, I love you too.” Kakashi blushed deeply. He shrugged of Naruto's embrace and closed the cupboard. 

“Yes, it seemed that Shizune-san bought you some Ramen… But today I will cook for us. You will eat some healthy stuff.” 

“But –“ 

“No. No Ramen today.” 

Naruto’s lip was quivering. “Alright. Tomorrow?” 

Kakashi sighed, but somehow, he couldn’t stop the laugh that tried to escape him. 

“Tomorrow you can have Ramen. It is important to have a balanced diet Naruto and also to eat vegetables. –“ He saw Naruto grimace at that. “- Don’t give me that look. I will make some Yakisoba for us. With lots of vegetables. You wanna help me prepare the food?” 

Naruto wasn’t too fond of cooking, but he was happy at the prospect of cooking with Kakashi. “Yes!” 

Kakashi took out the pots and started preparing the noodles he wanted for the yakisoba. “Have you ever made Yakisoba yourself Naruto?” 

Naruto's cheeks turned red a little bit as he scratched his neck seemingly embarrassed. “No. Actually I am not good at cooking at all. You know, nobody ever showed me stuff. So … I taught myself a few things, but… -“ Naruto didn’t want to continue that conversation. He always felt embarrassed when somebody asked him why he didn’t know something or couldn’t do something (small things like cooking or other essential things that kids learn from their parents when they are little). He fiddled nervously with his hands. He didn’t know where to look. Suddenly he felt Kakashi's hand on his shoulder. “Ok. I will show you how to make Yakisoba.” He looked into Kakashi's masked face. He could make out an honest smile on the face which made him feel safe and took away the insecurities. “I have always hoped to feed you some vegetables, so I will use this opportunity to teach you how to cook to get some green stuff into your system.” 

“Sensei… that sounds really nasty. Maybe you shouldn’t read Ero-Sennins books so much.” 

Kakashi brushed his hands exasperated through his wild silver hair. “Naruto… Let’s just start with the noodles.” 

**

Kakashi couldn’t believe that they really finished the Yakisoba without Naruto ruining the kitchen, burning down their new apartment or hurting himself. 

It looked like a fight – a serious fight to the death between two enemies – rather than someone trying to make Yakisoba. Kakashi had several breakdowns while watching Naruto in the kitchen. He had never seen anyone holding a pan with a more concentrated face, as if he was ready to go into battle any moment. It was absolutely hilarious. 

“Senseiiiii! That’s so mean! Stop laughing! This is hard!” 

“I am sorry Naruto. But you just have to HOLD the pan – you don’t have to fight it! It won’t hurt you.” 

“Are you sure? I don’t know….” He cried and looked miserably at Kakashi.

Kakashi didn’t think that he ever had that much fun while cooking. He was always cooking just for himself since he was very young. Suddenly he also realized that this would also be the first time, since his father took his life, that he would not be eating alone ‘at home’. He would share his ‘home’ with somebody – and that was quite an intense feeling. 

Kakashi reached for the pan and took it from Naruto's hands. “Let me see.“ He smiled. “Well done. Food’s ready now. I can’t believe that we survived it.” 

“Maaah, Kakashi-Sensei! You are such a meanie!” Naruto pouted. 

Kakashi chuckled. “Go grab some plates, will you?” 

“Yeees.” Naruto looked through the cupboards. He found the plates and took two sets. He put them on the table. He rummaged around again to find chopsticks and took out one set for him and one for Kakashi. Kakashi put the pan on the table. 

Kakashi was suddenly very aware that, now that they were eating and living together it would get difficult hiding his face from Naruto much longer. He sat down and looked at the blond, who already was busy putting some of the Yakisoba on his plate. 

“Naruto –“ 

The blond looked at him with an innocent face. “Yes?” 

“You know, I …” 

“Sensei, if it bothers you, I can turn around or keep my face down. I don’t mind. Really.” Naruto smiled. 

Kakashis blinked several times. He was amazed that Naruto was so considerate of him and that he immediately understood the situation. 

“Thank you, Naruto, that is very thoughtful of you. I appreciate it.” 

“No problem, Sensei!”

True to his words, Naruto never looked up while eating. That never stopped him from talking though, which highly amused Kakashi. He ate his Yakisoba silently and enjoyed his meal while listening intently to Naruto’s excited ramblings. 

Naruto talked about everything that was on his mind (which was A LOT): his friends, Tsunade, Shizune, the hospital, the nurses that ALL seemed to have a crush on Kakashi-Sensei – ‘which was so NOT OK, Sensei!’, why he felt horrible that he didn’t have any time to see Iruka-Sensei, Sakura-chan, Shikamaru-kun, (who he talked a lot about – he was definitely important to Naruto, Kakashi noted), Teuchi-san and his daughter, how much he hoped that Ichiraku would open up again soon and funny enough he also mentioned Gai and his team. Which was highly amusing to Kakashi. He listened to Naruto’s monologue and grinned as he enjoyed his food. He couldn’t even begin to understand how Naruto could speak that much and that fast while eating so much. 

Naruto enjoyed their shared meal very much. He always had to eat alone while all his other friends went home after academy or after training to have lunch or dinner with their families. After the teams were formed it was getting a little easier for Naruto, but he still felt that pain and jealousy, when all his friends talked about birthday dinners, bento boxes from their mothers or ‘having no time today, because the family wants to have lunch today, so annoying, you know!’- _no, he didn’t know_ . He never understood why that would be annoying. He always hoped that someday he would find someone that would wait for him at home. He dreamed and hoped that someday he might have all of that too and that he would be able to say ‘Today I can’t stay longer, guys. Because I need to go home, we are having lunch’ or maybe ‘For my birthday we are having dinner’.  
He wanted to look up and take a look at Kakashi. But he promised. He only saw his long pale hands holding the chopsticks. He grinned. He was really sharing a room with Kakashi-Sensei. He put more Yakisoba into his mouth.

He was so happy – he could explode. 

**

While Kakashi was washing the dishes, Naruto was rolling out their Futons. He was looking at the Futons and he felt himself blushing. The bedroom wasn’t too big, so the space where he could put the Futons was a little limited. He moved around and tried to calm himself. 

_That is too close. Is it too close? What the hell am I doing? Ok. I need to move Kakashi-Sensei’s Futon just a little bit over to this side and everything will be alright. Yosh!_

Naruto thought as he realized how fast his heart was beating.

He took the edge of the Futon and pulled it a little bit further away from his own Futon. It was just a little bit but as Naruto looked at the space between the Futons, he nodded at himself and slowly padded over to his own. As he looked down at the white mattress, he suddenly grew tense and drew his eyebrows together. “OH NO!”

Kakashi heard Naruto whine in pain and enter their bedroom. “What is it? Something wrong?” 

“I just realized that I lost something very important during the attack… oh noooo.” 

“What was it? Maybe one of the teams found it?” 

“The teams?” 

“Yes, Shizune told me that there are still teams all around the village looking through the rubble. What was it that you lost?” 

Naruto pouted and fiddled with his black shirt. He couldn’t possibly tell him that he had a doll, that looked like Kakashi-Sensei. – But what if one of the teams found his doll? He buried his face in his hands. “Ahhhhh! That’s not good!”

Kakashi was confused. “What?” 

“I am going to take a shower first, is that ok?” Naruto hurried out of the bedroom and swiftly closed the door to the bathroom behind him. 

**

So embarrassing. He always had that doll – Since he was 12 years old – there had always been a Kakashi-doll with him. He was 17 now… So maybe he was getting a bit too old for that anyways, but somehow he felt sad that he lost it. He looked at himself in the mirror and sighed. He took off his shirt, his pants and his underwear, the ones with little toads on them. He liked those. He turned on the shower and tested the temperature. When the water was nice and hot, he stepped inside. His muscles started to relax when he felt the hot water on his shoulders. 

_Of course I miss that stupid thing. I always had it. Damn… But it’s also super embarrassing if one of the teams should find it. I don’t know what I should do or what I should say to Kakashi-Sensei. It feels so good to be with him like this but it’s also super strange. Probably because I have never lived with anyone else before. I hope that I am not bothering him. I mean, what if he doesn’t like it and then he will hate me and –_

**KID! Would you stop fussing? That’s really starting to stress me out!**

“What the fu..!” Naruto tried not to scream when he suddenly heard a booming growling voice in his mind. The Kyuubi was loudly talking to him.

**All of this ‘Does he hate me?’ ‘Does he like me?’ and ‘How do I feel about all of that?’ is driving me nuts!**

Naruto stood very still under the shower not quite certain what to make of this bizarre situation. He was having a very private conversation, naked, with the Kyuubi, in the shower. His life was getting stranger every day. 

“Well, I can’t help it, you know! I have never lived with anyone before. You of all people should know. You have always been with me. And Kakashi-Sensei is very important to me, so I don’t want to ruin this!” Naruto was silently hissing. “This is really stressing me out!”

The Kyuubi was madly chuckling in his mind. **I know how ‘important’ he is to you. As you just said, I have always been with you… I know who you think about at night.**

“Oh god. Please, stop this right there. I can’t believe that I am having this kind of conversation with you.” 

After washing his hair, he quickly finished washing and turned off the shower to get out. He took one of the fluffy white towels and dried himself. He pulled on his boxer shorts and opened the door again. He took the towel and put it around his shoulders. He went back to the bedroom where Kakashi was comfortably sitting on his Futon. His little orange book in front of his face. His Hitai-ate was next to the Futon. He looked so casual in the long-sleeved black shirt and his black pants. His silver hair was covering his face a little, but Naruto was able to look at Kakashis face now a little bit more – the scar that went through Kakashi's left eye. 

“Naruto… are you alright??” Kakashi was looking at him confused. 

“Su-Sure, Sensei!” Naruto huffed embarrassed, as he moved to the Futon on the left side of the room. He sat down and gently ruffled his slightly wet hair with the towel. 

“Aaaalright? I am going to take a shower too.” 

Kakashi got up and took one of the Yukatas that Shizune also provided them with, from the Cupboards in the bedroom. Naruto sat on the Futon, still only dressed in his toad covered boxer shorts – totally oblivious to the heated look on his Sensei’s face. 

Some water that dropped from his wet hair ran down Naruto’s naked chest. He couldn’t stop looking. Kakashi quickly left the room and closed that bathroom door. _Maybe it was a mistake to say yes? Maybe I shouldn’t have moved in with Naruto? Oh god, what the hell am I even doing? Minato-Sensei forgive me for looking at him like that._ _  
_ Kakashi was scolding himself. He went to the sink and pulled the mask down. He splashed some cold water into his face. He groaned. Naruto didn’t know which kind of effect he had on people and he certainly didn’t understand that he held so much sex appeal, even though he didn’t even try to be sexy. Kakashi pulled the shirt over his head and pulled his pants down. He turned the water on and waited for the temperature to settle. He pulled his underwear down and got into the shower stall. 

He sighed. Finally, a moment just for himself. He tried to relax and shut down his busy mind. He turned around and let the water run down his neck and his spine. He let the hot water relax the tense muscles in his back and neck. Of course he was happy that he was living with Naruto. He wouldn’t change a thing about that. But he felt guilty about his own feelings for Naruto. He just couldn’t stop his thoughts and his feelings for the blond. That was driving him absolutely insane.

He groaned. He reached for the shampoo and started soaping up his hair. He rinsed out the Shampoo and leaned his head heavily against the shower wall. He should get out of the shower – now. But the images of Naruto on the Futon. The feeling of Naruto’s body tightly pressed against his own when they were sharing a bed in the hospital. He closed his eyes and for this single moment he only wanted to feel and not think. His hand reached down. His breath was going a little bit faster as his hand gripped his cock. In his mind there was only this sweet smile, blond hair and the scent of sunflowers and sunshine. He panted as he started to stroke himself. He saw the drops running down Naruto’s toned chest and his beautiful golden skin. Kakashi’s mouth was slightly agape as his breath was going faster. He was stroking himself quicker. His eyes were still closed. He only wanted to think about Naruto.  
_Naruto…_ He bit his bottom lip. Precome was covering his hand. He was so close. He squeezed a little harder and his hand stroked his cock a little faster. Just a little more. _Naruto…_ He jerked his throbbing dick a few more times until he came with a silent groan. He pushed his hips into his hand with a desperate urge, as cum splattered against the shower wall. A quiet satisfied moan left his lips.  
Efficiently he cleaned his hands, himself and the shower wall. 

Silently guilt crept back into him. 

He turned off the shower and opened the stall. He got out of the shower and took one of the towels. Kakashi dried himself and dressed himself in the yukata. He tried to dry his wild hair as much as he could and put on the mask again. He opened the door and walked back to the bedroom again. Just then, Kakashi felt how tired he actually was. He yawned as he entered the bedroom. “Naruto the light –“ Naruto slept on his Futon and was now also messily dressed in a Yukata, that was barely covering his legs. He couldn’t answer, because he was already deep asleep. He was strangely tangled in his sheets and softly snoring. Kakashi chuckled as he went over to Naruto’s side and gently put an end to Naruto’s fight with the sheets. After he untangled him and softly put him on the Futon, he put the blankets on top of him and got up again to make sure that the door of their apartment was locked. When he was satisfied with making sure that everything was safe, he made his way back to the bedroom. He turned off the lights in the living room and the kitchen. He closed the door to the bedroom, and turned off the lights and softly, not to wake the sleeping blond, he walked over to his own Futon. 

When he was wrapped in his blanket, he yawned again. As his head hit the pillow he immediately fell asleep. 

***


	8. decisions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the fight between Sasuke and team 7 at the bridge, Kakashi, Naruto and Sakura meet Shikamaru. They talk about Sasuke.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> feelings! :(  
> comments and kudos are love.

Shikamaru was glad when Naruto was released from the hospital. He wanted to meet Naruto and Sakura to talk to them about Sasuke and the future of Konoha. He still felt guilty about their first mission together where they all tried to get Sasuke back. He felt guilty because, had he been successful back then as a leader, maybe Sasuke would be back in Konoha right now, and maybe they wouldn’t have to talk about why Sasuke was being hunted by the other Nations. 

The Raikage wanted to kill Sasuke and according to the news, Sasuke was in several Bingo Books and was now being hunted like a common criminal. Shikamaru sighed heavily and tried not to think how their impending talk would go. He hated to be the one to bring bad news… but it seemed that someone had to do it. After Naruto, Kakashi, Sakura and the others came back after their last mission, Shikamaru heard about what had happened at the bridge. They met Sasuke and a fight between the members of Team 7 followed. Naruto and Kakashi stayed at the hospital for two nights after they returned to Konoha, but as Shikamaru heard from Shizune-san, they were both unharmed. 

Now, as he stood in front of the newly refurbished living quarters where Naruto lived, while the village was being rebuilt, Shikamaru tried to think of some words, that would make the impending talk a little less depressing and a little less horrible. 

_ No way this is going down well…  _ Shikamaru thought and knocked on the door. 

“Yeeeea, Coming! Coming!” He heard Naruto's loud voice from within the apartment. “No Sensei! Stay away from that! – “ Shikamaru thought he heard Kakashi's voice from inside. He wasn’t too sure. “BECAUSE IT’S RAMEN,… RAMEN! DATTEBAYO!!” 

Shikamaru knocked again. “YES! I’m coming!” He heard loud steps and suddenly the door was pulled open. He looked into Naruto’s smiling face. “Shika! What are you doing here? Wanna have some Ramen too? We are just cooking!” 

“Instant Ramen is not cooking, Naruto. Hello, Shikamaru-kun.” Kakashi's amused voice came from inside. 

“Hello, Kakashi-san.”

“Maaah! Sensei, just be happy that I’m making something super delicious for you, dattebayo!” 

“Yes, yes. The three minutes are almost over.” 

“Ahhh! Shikamaru what do you want?” 

“Actually, I needed to talk to you… and the other members of Team 7 – “

“Oh?” It seemed like that caught Kakashi's interest. “What is it Shikamaru-kun?”

He looked at Kakashi who lazily sat at the little table that was positioned in the middle of the room. He didn’t wear his Hitai-ate or his uniform. He was dressed pretty casually in some black track pants and a black, long-sleeved shirt. His mask was still tightly in place. It almost seemed as if he was at home? There was something that Shikamaru didn’t get here, and that irked him.

Kakashi got up from his place at the table and with his bare feet he slowly padded over to Naruto who hadn't moved away from the door, where he and Shikamaru stood. “Should we call Sakura-chan?” 

Shikamaru somehow suddenly felt like he intruded in a very private moment. Actually, he came to talk to Naruto about the problematic situation with Sasuke and somehow he felt like he uncovered another situation in Team 7. Quickly he shook his head – definitely  **NOT** his problem right now and  **NOT** the time for that. He would get his moment to talk to Naruto about all that. 

“Maybe we could meet later today?”

Kakashi looked at Naruto. They shared a look and nodded. 

Kakashi turned back to look at Shikamaru “Sure. We will talk to Sakura and bring her. What do you say about 3:00?” 

“That would be good. Let’s meet on the Hokage Mountain.” They nodded and Shikamaru left them again. Somehow Shikamaru was oddly confused about the Situation he stepped into, but he tried not to think too much about that. He had to focus on more important things. 

**

Naruto closed the door again and Kakashi followed Naruto back to the dinner table. They were quiet as they sat down. Somehow Kakashi had a feeling what it was that Shikamaru wanted to talk about. He had a bad feeling. It must have something to do with Sasuke. He was worried that, whatever it was that Shikamaru wanted to talk about, would hurt Naruto and Sakura even more. 

_ If that was even possible… _ He thought miserably. He knew how depressed they already were after the fight at the bridge. Sasuke’s words cut deep, especially because Naruto felt sensitive right now. He was glad that he was staying with Naruto, so he could keep an eye on the young shinobi. They were just staying in this little apartment now for the last couple of days and already it felt like this was how they had always lived. Like this was the most natural thing to them. Kakashi was highly amused by Naruto’s antics and his routines which almost always led to Naruto pouting and huffing around their shared space. Kakashi had to laugh, when he thought about Naruto not knowing how to cook, but it was extremely endearing HOW MUCH the younger man wanted to take care of his Sensei and of course he felt that the best way to take care of someone was with the best food on earth according to him – Ramen. 

Now, after the second day of Ramen, he decided that he would go shopping tomorrow. Teaching Naruto Yakisoba the other day, wasn’t that bad, and they actually enjoyed it. They were both still alive and the apartment didn’t catch fire. The food was good and safe to eat. So, Kakashi would say – all in all – that was a success. He would think of another dish (with many vegetables in it) to teach Naruto. Something easy, with low danger of burning down the kitchen. He nodded to himself. 

They sat at the dinner table and he watched Naruto take his chopsticks and open his instant Ramen. 

Naruto kept his eyes down, to respect Kakashi’s privacy. Kakashi appreciated that greatly and slowly pulled his mask down to start eating. 

Naruto suddenly put his chopsticks down. “He wants to talk about Sasuke – “ he saw Naruto swallow heavily. “- right?” 

He also put his chopsticks down and pulled his mask back up. “I think so too.” 

“Hm. What else would it be? Everybody knows that Sasuke attacked the Kage Meeting, he almost killed the Hachibi,… and now he’s a member of the Akatsuki… I already know what Shikamaru is going to say. I am not stupid – but I wish …” Naruto’s eyes got blurry and he clenched his fist. “I just wished it was different, you know?” He looked up and a tear ran down his cheek. Kakashi solemnly looked at him. 

“I know.” 

“What is usually happening to shinobi who leave their villages, like Sasuke? I saw one of the Jonin yesterday… He was looking through the new Bingo Book… I saw Sasuke's picture.”

Kakashi was quiet. Of course, Naruto wasn’t stupid. He knew that Naruto actually was pretty intelligent and receptive to the ongoings around him. Especially now that Naruto and Kakashi were closer, he realized that Naruto trusted him much more with questions about training, Jutsus, shinobi politics and other things that simply seemed to interest him. He always tried to provide as much information as he could. “When a shinobi breaks the law, kills people, when it is not strictly ordered, or becomes a member of a criminal organization, they become rogue ninja. That means that the village that he was associated with, banishes him. As you know, Konoha is not only our home, it’s our family and as shinobi we must show loyalty to the Hokage and the Daimyo. If a shinobi decides to leave all that on their own will and become rogue… they end up in the Bingo Book – Which means that all the nations and all the villages are free to hunt them down. – “ Kakashi took a deep breath. “For a bounty. You see, Naruto, as shinobi we must follow a certain set of rules. We cannot simply run off and do as we please. We are bound to laws and rules. A rogue ninja no longer has the protection of that family. Because he broke the trust of his village.” Kakashi explained sadly. 

Naruto intently listened. His cheeks were red and as Kakashi explained all that to him he felt more tears well up in his eyes. He hiccuped as he tried to suppress more tears and silently sobbed as he imagined how Sasuke was being hunted and killed. He felt a hand softly touching his shoulder. 

“I know this is hard. You don’t have to be ashamed because of your tears. Just cry. We will meet Shikamaru in an hour and you will have to be strong for Sakura-chan.” Naruto scooted closer to the older Shinobi and softly whimpered. He let Kakashi pull him into his arms. Kakashi’s scent had a calming effect on him but still he couldn’t help the tears. He pressed his face into the black shirt and as he clenched his hands on Kakashi’s back he realized what frustration and hurt had built up in his heart. “Ye.. Yes.” He sobbed, as he cried all the built-up pain about losing Sasuke, fighting against him over and over again and not being able to keep the promise he made to Sakura-chan, into Kakashi’s shirt. 

Kakashi had pulled Naruto close to him. His arms were tightly wrapped around the blond and while one hand was gently patting the beautiful blond locks, the other was drawing calming circles on the back, that heaved with sobs. He held the shivering and sobbing blond until Naruto finally calmed down. “Thank you, Sensei.” 

“Feeling better?” 

“Yes… I feel a little better, but I have no idea what to do. If Shikamaru really tells us that Sasuke needs to ….” He couldn’t say it. He couldn’t bring it over his lips. Kakashi gently squeezed his shoulder.

“Sasuke chose that way himself. It’s not your fault. I wish that you wouldn’t punish yourself so much over his decisions. I see how this is hurting you. I understand your pain, but Sasuke isn’t Zabuza or Nagato. You won’t reach him with words anymore. Sometimes people feel that their pain has been too profound and that only more pain can take away their suffering.” Kakashi felt the upcoming disagreement in Naruto “I know what you want to say – I know that you feel different, and I am glad that you do. You have gone through so much pain in your life and when I look at you, all I see is strength, endurance and love – for your friends, for the village, for everybody. – That’s what’s making you so different. You are stubborn. You never give up. Everybody has to face hard times, but it makes a huge difference in what way we face challenges. Do we face them head on and never give up, or do we suffer after the challenge gets too hard for us?” 

Naruto stared at Kakashi. He was still tightly pressed against Kakashi. Sometimes Jiraiya had praised him when he taught him a new Jutsu. The Sannin hat always gently patted his head and Naruto was happy when his Mentor had words of praise for him. But he felt ecstatic about the praises from Kakashi. His heart was starting to race as he rubbed his blushing cheek against Kakashi’s shirt. 

“I am so proud of you. I have not told you that enough, have I?” Kakashi whispered as he tenderly brushed his hand through Naruto’s wild blond locks. His hands tightly held onto Kakashi’s shirt as he felt the Jonins big hands combing through his hair. “I have always hoped that you would be strong and brave, just like the Yondaime.” 

“Am I?” Naruto looked up at him. His face still pressed against his chest. His feet have become entangled with Kakashi’s. His hands clenched in Kakashi’s shirt. Naruto only just now realized how close he actually was to Kakashi and that he practically was sitting on his lap. But he felt Kakashi’s strong arms around him and the grey eye were so soft as his Sensei was looking at him. He pressed his face into the nook of Kakashi’s neck. “Am I like him? Like my Dad?” 

Kakashi remembered that Naruto told him that while he released the Kyuubi during the fight with Pain, he actually met Minato-Sensei’s Chakra, that the Yondaime had interwoven into Naruto’s sealing. 

“Yes. In your beliefs and your motivations, you are very much like Minato-Sensei. He was always fighting for justice, the people he loved, his friends and the village. He never thought about himself and always put others first. I see so much of this in you. I am sure that Minato-Sensei and Kushina-san would be very proud of you today.”

Naruto felt more tears well up. He hugged Kakashi tighter and tried to hide his face in Kakashi's neck. 

“Thank you, Sensei.”

Kakashi got serious again. “You remember what Madara told us about Sasuke and Itachi?” 

Naruto sullenly nodded. How could he forget that horrible encounter? 

**

While he was gloomily trying to rest in his room, suddenly that masked guy appeared and started talking about Sasuke and Itachi. For the first few seconds Naruto thought that this would be it… Madara would kill him and take the Kyuubi. But all of a sudden Yamato's wood Jutsu appeared all around him and engulfed the masked man so that he couldn’t move anymore. Kakashi's Chidori was blinding as he appeared behind Madara and looked at with a grim face. 

“Stay where you are, Naruto.” Yamato's voice was tense. 

“We won’t let you get to Naruto, Madara.” Kakashi brows were drawn tightly together as he growled at his enemy. 

The orange mask made him seem ridiculous, but it was dangerous to even let that guy out of your sight for a second. They had fought against him before and they knew about his abilities. They were all a bit confused when he said that he only wanted to talk. Naruto screamed at him that he didn’t believe him and that he demanded to know where Sasuke was and what his intentions with him were. He knew that Sasuke was being manipulated. “Hm. Uzumaki Naruto. Fine. I will tell you about a man who is being eaten alive by all the hate and rage inside him. That man is Uchiha Sasuke. But if I tell you about him, I must also tell you about Uchiha Itachi.” 

**

“Of course I remember… “ 

They were quiet for a moment. Both remembering why the whole trouble at the bridge started in the first place. Sakura’s lies about loving Naruto and simply running off alone to find and kill Sasuke by herself. 

“We are in such a messy situation right now.” Kakashi suddenly felt very tired and closed his eyes for a moment. “We should get cleaned up and get dressed. We need to get Sakura… This situation won’t get any better. We have to meet Shikamaru at 3:00, that’s in 40 minutes.” 

“Yes.” Naruto wearily got up from where he sat and grabbed his jacket. Kakashi went to the bedroom and also got dressed. When they were ready Naruto grabbed his keys and they both left the apartment in silence to go and find Sakura. 

**

Sakura was also sharing a room at the temporary living quarters. Currently she was staying with Ino. To be honest, she was glad for the company. She felt very lonely sometimes. With Sasuke gone and Naruto practically glued to Kakashi-Sensei’s side it was just her now. She thought it was funny though how inseparable those two became. 

She realized quickly that being with Naruto again was good for Kakashi-Sensei. She was worried for him when Naruto left for his training trip with Jiraiya-sama. Kakashi-Sensei started taking all those S-ranked missions and looked pretty gloomy all the time. (With all the time Sakura meant the few times that she actually got to see him.. Because Kakashi was rarely in the village while Naruto was gone.) Sakura spent most of her time studying with Tsunade-sama so she wasn’t hurt, that her Sensei was gone so much, but she was a bit sad, that her team was kind of falling apart. She watched as the other teams were taking missions together, were spending evenings together or went out together. 

While one member of her team developed murderous and criminal tendencies, the other one simply left on a three-year-training-trip, and the last one became a gloomy workaholic. Of course, she was a bit jealous of Ten-Tens team or Inos team. They were always complaining about their teammates when the girls met, but the thing was… they HAD teammates to complain about!    
She was so happy when Kakashi-Sensei stopped taking all those solo S-ranked missions and stayed in the village. That had to mean that Naruto would come back soon! Just two weeks later Naruto was back in the village!

Her heart was full of joy when the girls met again and everybody was talking, drinking and laughing about their days, their missions and their teams. Ten-Ten was complaining again about Gai-Sensei and Lee. Everybody was laughing. Ino was loudly complaining about Shikamaru, as if she was hoping that if only she talked loud enough, he might actually hear her. Sakura giggled. Finally, she was able to say something too. Because Naruto and Kakashi-Sensei were back! 

Living with Ino now was helping her a lot. They’ve become closer again. She felt a bond forming with Ino again – like when they were children.    
Sakura was in the small kitchen nook and cleaned everything that she had used for making lunch earlier. “Do you need help?” Ino asked. 

“No, it’s fine. I am almost done. Thank you.” 

“Maybe you should get some more sleep and let me do the rest …” After Sakura and the others came back from the fight with Sasuke, Ino was nicer to Sakura. She couldn’t imagine the pain that her friend was in right now. Ino was sad herself, since she always had a crush on Sasuke, but she couldn’t imagine losing a teammate under such circumstances. 

“That’s alright. I am done now anyway.” 

“Ok. – “ Ino moved a little to make some room for Sakura to sit next to her. “ – Sakura, how are you doing?” 

Sakura sat down next to Ino, who was slowly sipping from her tea. “I don’t know. Honestly, I thought I was doing the right thing. I thought that I was prepared – but I just couldn’t do it. –“ Sakura let her head sink to the table. She let it rest on her folded hands. “I think that he would have killed me,- “ She looked up at Ino’s sad face. “ – if Naruto hadn’t shown up to push me out of his way.” 

Ino was quiet. She looked down at her friend and took in her words. 

“Do you think that he would have done it? That he really would have killed me? I read the reports from what he has done… How he simply killed those Samurai at the Kage Meeting, how he attacked and tried to kill the Jinchuriki of the Hachibi… I simply don’t know what to do or what to think about Sasuke-kun anymore. I loved him. I loved him so much. I just don’t think that this is Sasuke-kun anymore. He talked about destroying Konoha and killing Naruto. Ino…” 

Ino carefully took her friend into her arms. “I think that you are very strong. I couldn’t have done what you did. I love Shikamaru and Choji, and if one of them left the village I don’t think I would be strong like you. I understand your pain. I was in love with Sasuke too and I cried so much when I saw his face in the Bingo Book. Do you know what will happen now?”

“Shikamaru talked to me, before I left to look for him. He told me that it was most important that Konoha took care of Sasuke, and that we must avoid a war because of him. He – He said that it wouldn’t be wise to involve another village.” Sakura sniffed. She hugged Ino tightly. Her lip was quivering. 

“I understand.” The blond woman said and sniffed too. “Don’t be sad. We must be strong now.” A tear ran down her cheek as she hugged Sakura closer. “You are not alone.” The two women sniffed and sobbed over a lost love and realized that even though they were crying over a broken heart they have gained something that was worth so much more than the attention of some guy. The love of a best friend. 

“Thank you, Ino.” Sakura smiled as the tears ran down her cheeks. 

**

Kakashi and Naruto silently walked through the streets towards Sakura’s flat. It wasn’t that far away from where Naruto and Kakashi lived. They walked up the three steps to Sakura’s flat, that she currently shared with Ino and Kakashi softly knocked on the door. 

“Yes?” he heard the delicate voice of Ino from within. “Just a secooond!” 

The door was opened and Ino looked at them, somehow her cheeks looked a little flushed and her eyes were a little red. She must have cried… Kakashi observed.    
Sakura appeared behind her. 

“Kakashi-Sensei! Naruto!” Her cheeks were flushed as well. Kakashi noted. 

“Sakura-chan. I hope we haven’t disturbed you?” 

“No, Sensei! What is it? Do you need me?” 

Naruto was very quiet behind Kakashi. He could barely look at Sakura. On the one hand he felt too nervous because of the impending talk with Shikamaru and on the other hand he felt guilt ridden because he wasn’t able to help a friend and Sakura-chan would lose the one she truly loved. 

“We have to meet Shikamaru in 20 minutes. Get dressed. Naruto and I are going to wait here.” 

Sakura obediently nodded and closed the door again to get ready. She already had a feeling what Shikamaru wanted to talk about, because he already talked to her before, but Shikamaru didn’t have the chance to talk with Naruto yet. She took out a jacket and her boots. How would Naruto take it? 

_ ‘Maybe Kakashi already talked to him. They are sharing a room. They must be close. _ ’ 

Sakura’s thoughts were carrying her from Sasuke to Naruto’s and Kakashi-Sensei’s living situation, which was so much more interesting and fun to think about. They made her smile and cheered her up again. ‘ _ I really wish I’d know if Naruto saw his face… Tsunade-sama said that they also shared a hospital room. That is absolutely driving me nuts. I hope that Naruto is coming to the BBQ tomorrow night. I have to talk to him about this!’ _

But first things first. She pulled on her boots. “Ino, I’m heading out with Kakashi-Sensei and Naruto.” 

“Ok. I will wait for you. See you later!” 

“Bye!” 

**

Sakura closed the door and greeted her teammates. “Hey.” 

“Yo!” 

Naruto only gave her a sad smile. 

Sakura went over to Naruto, who was leaning against the wall opposite her flat. She tried to smile at him. And took his hand in hers. 

“You know, I may have lied about some things back then, in the land of iron… but I really meant it when I said that you are important to me and that I wish you would stop running into all kinds of dangerous situations. You are my friend and I care about you. You know? I wasn’t lying when I said that I don’t want you running after Sasuke anymore. The people of this village need you. Your team needs you. You want to be Hokage one day, don’t you? – ” She smiled at him as she tightly held his hand in hers. “ – why do you think Shikamaru is preparing so hard for the assistant job? Somebody has to keep you in check when you drive us all nuts when you take the hat.” 

Naruto looked at her, deeply moved by Sakura’s word, because he never would have thought that she would ever say something like that to him. “Sakura-chaaaan…” His lip was quivering as his eyes welled up. She chuckled. “Mah mah, don’t cry now, or I have to cry too! – “ She looked at Kakashi who also smiled at them. 

He solemnly stood a few steps away but walked closer to them. “I guess, we all know what kinda talk this is going to be… “ They all took a deep breath and nodded at Kakashi. “Yes. I am sorry you two. It seems like it has come to this, but I want you two to know that we will always be together, and that you will never be alone in this. Please remember that you have me, and there is also Yamato and Sai. This team may face some hard times now, our team may change, but there are people who care about you, who love you and who will help you carry that burden.” He looked at Naruto and Sakura who huddled around him and he suddenly felt like they were his little Genins again. They were looking at him completely lost and overwhelmed by this situation. He hugged them and gently touched their heads. “We’re in this together. Always.” 

They nodded at their Sensei and started to move.

Kakashi turned and led the little group up to the Hokage mountain. 

**

Shikamaru was already waiting for Kakashi, Naruto and Sakura when the group arrived. They were closely huddled together. Naruto tightly held onto Kakashi’s left arm, while Sakura held onto Naruto’s right hand. Shikamaru’s head hung low and he still felt like he was the worst possible choice for this job. He still couldn’t understand why the Hokage wanted him to do this. 

“Yo. Shikamaru.” Kakashi took his team closer to Shikamaru. “Let’s get this over with. I guess we all already know what this is about. They are prepared for the news… but I guess it would be best if you would simply tell them if the Hokage and the council have come to a decision… about Sasuke.”

Shikamaru groaned. “The Hokage will arrange a meeting with you as well. But the thing is, she wanted me to talk to you beforehand, to prepare you… The Hokage, the council and the village elders, deemed him unworthy of ever returning to Konoha. He is banished and as you already know, his picture is now in all the Bingo Books. After he killed Uchiha Itachi, he tried to kill the Jinchuriki of the Hachibi and killed several Samurai of the Land of Iron he also attacked the Kage Meeting where he attacked and heavily injured the Raikage. He attacked the other Kage with hostile intent. You see –“ Shikamaru started sweating and swallowed heavily. “They decided that since he is no longer a shinobi of Konoha, but a criminal, that Konoha should take care about him. I am sure that you understand what that means,… Naruto?” 

Kakashi felt how the grip that Naruto had on his arm tightened while Shikamaru spoke. He heard Sakura’s quiet sobbing. 

“Yes. I understand. It means that they want Sasuke dead.” 

There was tension in the air. A loaded silence followed. 

“Naruto, I know that this must seem –“ 

“No. NO! You don’t understand, Shikamaru!” Naruto yelled. 

“Naruto calm down. This was not Shikamaru’s decision.” Kakashi tried to remind the angry blond next to him. 

“I don’t care! Why does everybody always say ‘I know how you feel’ or ‘I know this must be hard’? when they actually have no idea how this feels? Sasuke is being hunted now and he is probably going to be killed?! How can anybody say ‘I know how you feel’?” 

Shikamaru closed his eyes and pressed his hands on his face. Naruto was right of course. He had no idea how his friend felt. He couldn’t even try to comprehend how Naruto or Sakura feel right now. 

“You are correct I don’t know how you feel. But don’t think that my words are just empty… Because I still feel guilty about that mission all those years ago. If I hadn’t failed… If I had done more… Maybe we could have brought him back and he wouldn’t have left for Orochimaru’s. Maybe he wouldn’t be in the Bingo Books now. Believe me I feel your pain and your anger. He wasn’t on my team, he wasn’t my friend, but he was a shinobi from Konoha and I always hoped that your wish would come true and that Sasuke would come back one day.” Shikamaru, sadly and full of guilt, looked at Naruto.

Naruto looked around them. He actually always liked it up here. The sound of the wind howling in the forest behind them. The sky seemed so wide and free. Below them was the village, full of bustling life and people that were rebuilding their houses and their lives. He always hoped that someday he might stand on this spot when Team 7 would be together again. When Sasuke would be back in the village and they would laugh again as friends. That dream would never come true now. 

“I was never angry at you Shikamaru, it wasn’t your fault. I am sorry about what I just said. I… I just feel so much… right now.” Naruto fought against all the emotions that were crashing in on him. 

“I understand.” The young Nara quietly said.

Naruto stepped closer to Sakura who was openly crying now. He took her into his arms, and both wept for all the things that they lost. Kakashi felt broken. He looked back at Shikamaru. “Give them some time. Please, tell the Hokage that we’ve been notified about the village’s decision. We have to accept it, but the team needs some time for grieving.” 

Shikamaru nodded and bowed respectfully. Silently he left the grieving team alone. 

**

Kakashi walked over to his sobbing students and put his hands on their shivering shoulders. In times like these he wished that Minato-sensei or Kushina-san were still alive. They’ve always known what to say and how to take care for someone. Especially Minato-Sensei, was a very caring person. Sometimes he wished he was more like Minato-sensei. He sighed. 

“Come on you two, how about I take you to get something to eat?” 

Both sniffed and teary eyed looked up at their Sensei. 

“I want Ramen.” 

“You just had Ramen for lunch?” 

“But Ramen is the best food on earth. And I KNOW that If I had some Ramen I would feel better.” 

“Ahh… Mah Mah, Sakura-chan, what would you like?” 

Sakura was wiping away the tears from her flushed cheeks and smiled at Naruto and Kakashi. She quietly giggled at the funny way that these two seemed to communicate. “Ramen is fine.” She said.

“Yeiiii! Yosh! Ichiraku it is!”    
“Wait, what?”    
Kakashi and Naruto started speaking at the same time. 

“Sakura, you know that you shouldn’t encourage his obsession…” Kakashi huffed.

“I don’t mind. I know that Ichiraku just re-opened. So why not? It makes him happy.” Sakura smiled and wiped away the last tears that escaped her eyes. 

Naruto was already jogging towards the stairs down the Hokage Monument and stopped just to look back. “What are you guys waiting for? Come on! Ramen! RAMEN!” 

Sakura and Kakashi started walking. Even though the pain was still close, their hearts felt a little lighter, as Naruto walked in front of them and loudly talked about how much he hoped that Teuchi-jii-san and Ajame-nee-chan would make him some Pork-Ramen. 

Kakashi knew that it would take some time until they would feel better – until the pain in all of their hearts would settle – but right now, they had each other, and that was fine. 

***


	9. The prophecy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto talks with the Kyuubi, sexy times and some prophecy.

Naruto and Kakashi settled into their little apartment and established a routine. While Kakashi was always up earlier, he took longer in the bathroom, so he always tried to be ready before Naruto crawled out of bed. Which wasn’t that hard to be honest. Kakashi couldn’t understand how anyone with that much Chakra and that much energy, wasn’t able to get up in the morning. Naruto always took longer in the mornings and most of the time overslept, simply because he wasn’t a morning person and Kakashi sometimes had to use drastic measures to get him out of bed. One morning he stood next to Naruto’s Futon and his Chidori was lightening up the room. He was amazed at how fast Naruto found the way to the bathroom to get ready. 

They also established the rule that it would be saver, for the time being, that Naruto shouldn’t use the kitchen alone. Naruto was scared to death that he would burn down their apartment somehow. 

Kakashi insisted that the cleaning duties had to be split between them. Naruto groaned and he may have even looked a little annoyed, but he always cleaned the kitchen and he always put his shoes carefully next to Kakashi’s, after Kakashi harshly told him that it was Naruto’s wish after all that they share a room. Naruto nodded and apologized to Kakashi. He even did the shopping the next day – which was a (happy) surprise to Kakashi and when Naruto came back, the silver-haired man went to the kitchen to make some of Naruto’s favorites dishes for dinner.

Naruto would never admit it out loud but, watching Kakashi cook made him super happy and did funny things to his heart – but he was blushing like crazy while Kakashi was fixing their dinner. His heart was racing, and he tried to calm down, but it was getting harder and harder every day to just be in the same apartment and be good friends. Naruto thought about what the Kyuubi said to him. It may have driven him mad at that time, but the fox was right. Kakashi was the one he was thinking about at night – actually Kakashi-Sensei was always on his mind. He was barely thinking about anything or anyone else anymore. He watched the strong back, the toned tights and the wild silver hair. Naruto had to avert his eyes. Maybe it was just a crush? 

**Pretty long crush, if you ask me. What has it been now… 4 years or 5 years?**

Naruto squealed as he heard the Kyuubi’s dark chuckle. But it seemed like Kakashi hadn’t realized his dilemma, so he turned away from the kitchen and quickly walked into their bedroom and quietly closed the door. 

_ So, NOW you wanna talk all of sudden?!  _

The Kyuubi didn’t say anything but snorted and laughed madly.

_ Alright… I know that my feelings for Sensei may seem a bit….  _ _   
_ _ ….much. _ __   
**….obsessive.**

_ Hey! I can’t help my feelings! I don’t even know why you only wanna talk to me, when it’s about Kakashi-Sensei. I don’t get you.  _

**Because your inner monologues would even drive Uchiha Madara mad. The prospect of you obsessing over that Hatake-boy and your endless tirades of ‘does he like me?’ or ‘did I do that right now?’ or ‘please look at me Sensei’ for the rest of your life, is already driving me completely insane! So, I have decided to take pity on my sanity, and yours, and help you.**

“What’s that supposed to mean?! Dattebayo!” Naruto didn’t realize that he spoke out loud. 

“Naruto? Did you say something?” Kakashi called from the kitchen. 

Naruto bit his lip.  _ Damn! _ “No! Sorry I was thinking out loud. I am sorry Sensei!”

“Alright. Dinner will be ready soon.”

“Ok! Thank you. Dattebayo!”

**Baka.**

_ Mahh.. I forgot, ok? So, what’s that supposed to mean? You want to help me? How?  _

**Kid, you are so clueless about so many things. And men are definitely one of them.**

_ Excuse me? I am a man!  _ Naruto huffed and angrily put his hands on his hips. Stupid fox. What the hell did he know? He started walking up and down in their bedroom. He felt the warm straw of the Tatami under his feet. Naruto felt a little stressed as he held the internal conversation with the Kyuubi.

**Are you now? I can only see a boy with no clue what he wants or what to do with his desires. Tell me, what would you do if you could have him right now?**

Naruto was quiet. His face felt very red right now. He was burning up. He felt so embarrassed. Stupid fox!! – He was actually right and that made him very angry. Of course the Kyuubi knew that Naruto had absolutely NO experience. His first kiss was a horrible accident with Sasuke in the academy. That he would like to erase from his memories. The only other kissing experience was with a female shinobi on a mission. She kissed him without his consent. So that pretty much summed up Naruto’s sexual experience. But he realized very early on that he didn’t like girls (that way) – actually it was the day Iruka Sensei told them they would meet their Jonin Sensei. It was that moment when Kakashi-Sensei came into the classroom to meet them. That turned Narutos whole world around. It was the best and worst feeling ever. His moment of sexual awakening. Until that moment he thought he liked girls – in particular, Sakura-chan. But when he saw that tall, handsome Jonin, Naruto knew that he liked their Sensei in a very different way. 

And his nights became so much more interesting. 

**

When he left the village with Jiraya he started having dreams about Kakashi-Sensei. The kinds of dreams that made him wake up with sweat all over his body and sticky stuff in his boxer shorts. At first, he was very bothered by that, but after some time he decided to talk with Jiraiya about his dreams. Naruto decided to leave out the detail that it was Kakashi-Sensei, who touched him in his dreams. 

When he talked to Jiraiya, the Sannin laughed in his usual manner and hugged him tightly.

“That’s completely normal. You are young and have urges and feelings. Will you tell me who it is that stole your heart? Someone from your friends? Is it Sakura?”

Naruto felt lighter and strongly shook his heart. His cheeks were heavily blushing. He couldn’t tell him. 

Jiraiya looked at him with a warm smile. “You know, you can tell me. Whenever you are ready to talk to me. I won’t judge you. I missed my opportunity at love with a wonderful woman, but if you feel that this person is worthy of your heart and your love you shouldn’t miss the chance of telling them.” 

**

Naruto sighed. He could still feel the big, warm, gentle hands of Ero-Sennin on his head as he talked to him. He was so young and innocent back then. He felt so embarrassed by their talks about love, but he appreciated every word and every wisdom the older shinobi shared with him. He missed Jiraiya so much. There were so many things that he hadn’t told Jiraiya and so many things that he wanted to ask him. Now he would never have the chance to talk to the Sannin again. He sniffed. He wished Jiraiya was here right now…

**Kid?**

_ Sorry. You must be very annoyed with me. You are right, I have absolutely no idea what to do with Kakashi-Sensei or what to do with my feelings. I have no clue. But I am pretty sure that I like Kakashi-Sensei a lot. I like him so much more than Sakura-chan or Yamato-taicho, or Shikamaru, or Sai. And those are my best friends! Dattebayo! _

**Well, at least you know THAT much.**

The fox chuckled darkly and fell quiet again. He probably fell asleep again. Naruto felt extremely irritated by the weird behavior of the Kyuubi. He suddenly started talking to Naruto about Kakashi-Sensei and feelings and stuff. Was that normal for a Biyuu? Or was that just the Kyuubi? Naruto was irritated and shook his head. From outside Naruto could hear Kakashi call for him. 

“Naruto? Dinner is ready!” 

“Yei!!” He pulled the door open and rushed to the living room to see Kakashi just put plates on the table. “Thank you, Sensei! That looks super delicious! Dattebayo!” Naruto sat down and watched Kakashi sit down across from him. 

“Thank you.” Kakashi reached for his chopsticks and waited for Naruto to start eating. 

“Itadakimasuuuu!” Naruto grinned happily and started digging in. 

Kakashi pulled his mask down and started eating. “You know Naruto, I was thinking…” 

Naruto kept his eyes respectfully down while eating. “Yes, Sensei?” He got out while munching on some chicken.

“You already saw my face when we were in the land of iron, right? I think it would be ok if you –“ Kakashi swallowed. He felt nervous. It had been such a long time since he opened up to anyone like this. “- looked.” 

Naruto almost choked on the chicken as he listened to Kakashi-Sensei. He would be allowed to look? Of course, he saw his face in the land of iron. But that was a very stressful and difficult situation. He was having a panic attack and he was kind of struggling to breath. He was barely conscious when he had seen Kakashi-Sensei’s face for the first time. He couldn’t really remember. “Really?”

“Yes, Naruto.” 

Naruto slowly looked up until his eyes met the pale skin of Kakashi's face. There was a mole on his chin right under his lip. Naruto's eyes were carefully moving over his face as if he wanted to imprint that look and the complexion into his memory. Since Kakashi never wore his Hitai-ate at home his face was completely bare to Naruto's gaze. He memorized the scar that went through his left eye and the little mole under his lip. He tried not to blush, but he guessed it was a complete failure, because he felt his cheeks heat up under Kakashi's stare. “Sorry! I didn’t want to stare at you. It’s just, when we were your Genin, we wanted to see your face so bad… “ 

Kakashi grinned at him. Narutos heart was definitely racing now. “I knew you guys were following me.” 

“What!? Sensei that is so unfair!” 

“Why? That was good training for my cute little Genin. You were especially motivated as I remember.” 

Naruto blushed. “Maaah, Sensei is such a meanie.” 

While they were eating, Naruto started talking about missions that they did together and Kakashi actually laughed a few times because Naruto always got excited very easily.

Naruto got up and took the plates. 

“Kakashi-Sensei, I will do the dishes.” 

“Thank you, Naruto.” 

While Naruto was cleaning the dishes and the kitchen, Kakashi leaned against the table. He was glad about the peace and quiet that had settled around them. He pulled out his book and started to read. Suddenly there was a loud knock against the kitchen window. Naruto turned to look at Kakashi who looked up from his book. They shared a surprised look. 

“I will take a look, Sensei.” 

Kakashi nodded. He put his book down and got up from the table to carefully watch Naruto. 

Naruto slowly opened the window to reveal one of the Hokage’s messenger birds. “Oh?” He was surprised. The bird cooed sweetly as Naruto gently touched his head. “Thank you. Let me take that, will you?” Naruto took the note from his back and gently patted his head again, before sending him off again. Naruto closed the window again and looked at the note. “Oh. It’s for you, Sensei. Classified. Form the baa-chan.” Naruto turned to Kakashi, who groaned and took the message. 

He held the scroll between his fingers and moved his hands effortlessly through the combinations of unsealing the message. The scroll glowed lightly for a second – indicating that the seal broke and that Kakashi was now allowed to read it. Kakashi leaned against the kitchen counter and read the message intently. Naruto watched him closely. He tried to read his mimic or if the way he held his body somehow changed. But he should have known better. After Kakashi read the message he simply rolled it up and went to the bedroom. 

“I am sorry Naruto, it seems that Tsunade-sama needs me. I need to go.” 

“Right now?!” 

He heard Kakashi rummage around – looking for his uniform. “Yes, I have to get ready right now. But I guess it will be a short one. I should be back by tomorrow morning. Will you be ok?” 

Naruto huffed. “Of course I will be ok. Will you be alright, Sensei?” 

Kakashi walked out of the bedroom. He was completely dressed in his uniform. His Hitai-ate back on his head and tightly covering his Sharingan. His mask was loosely hanging around his neck. 

“Sure. I am just glad we had dinner, before the message came.” He walked to the door and sat down to put on his shoes.

Naruto followed him to the door. “Be careful, Sensei.” 

Kakashi got up and turned to Naruto who looked at him with his blue eyes full of affection. 

“I will be. See you tomorrow, Naruto.” He pulled his mask up and walked out of their apartment. 

**

Naruto looked around and realized that he was so used to Kakashi-Sensei being here now that it was kind of disturbing not to have him near. He looked around the apartment and he thought that it was way too big for him. He huffed. He didn’t like that feeling. They have only been living together for two weeks, but he was so used to living with Kakashi that he couldn’t imagine not sharing an apartment with the Jonin. Especially since Kakashi-Sensei had allowed him to LOOK at his face! 

Naruto decided that he would use the time that Kakashi was not home for a little  _ Naruto-time _ !

**Oh, please no.**

_ Would you please shut up?! I am young, I need that! And since Kakashi is not here,… _

**I guess I should thank you for the warning. I will shut my ears – and my brain.**

_ Stupid fox. _

Naruto was pouting and huffing as he was making sure the door was closed and slowly turned off the lights in the kitchen. He made sure everything was put away and cleaned up. After that he turned off the lights in the living room and closed the door to the bedroom. He realized that Kakashi, in all that hurry, simply dropped his shirt on the floor next to the dresser.

“Must be an important mission if he was in such a hurry – “ Naruto wanted to take the shirt and put it in the hamper but he stopped in his tracks. He stared at the shirt. Kakashi wore that shirt just minutes ago. He felt his hands getting sweaty. His breath was getting a little quicker. He really shouldn’t do this. His hands moved on their own as he pressed his nose into the dark fabric. He closed his eyes as he took in Kakashi's scent on the shirt. 

“Sensei...” He sighed deeply. He felt such a deep feeling of content settling throughout his chest, his heart and his entire being. He pressed his face into the shirt again and tried to focus only on Kakashi's scent. Nothing else. Just Kakashi. It was a heady feeling. 

He suddenly was back in Kakashi’s arms – that night in the hospital bed – shortly before they had to meet Shikamaru – when Kakashi-Sensei held him so close. 

Naruto opened his eyes. He looked at the shirt in his hands. He felt his whole body starting to tremble. Naruto dropped the shirt on Kakashi’s Futon and turned to switch off the lights of the bedroom. He took off his own shirt and dropped it next to the Futon. He also took off his pants and his underwear. He looked at the Futon and hesitated for a second but then he simply dropped to his knees and grabbed the blanket and crawled under Kakashi's sheets and pushed his face into Kakashi's pillow. He sighed happily and rubbed his cheek against Kakashi's pillow. 

“Smells like Kakashi-Sensei… hmmm.“ 

Naruto felt how his body slowly got more excited. He touched his chest and softly caressed his nipples. He whimpered.  _ Kakashi-Sensei, I want you so much…  _

His eyes closed and all he could think about was Kakashi's hands, his scent – that was all around him. While he rubbed his face into Kakashi's pillow, he started moaning softly. He didn’t want to think about how wrong it was what he was doing. Naruto only wanted to feel right now. He wanted to think about Kakashi touching him, looking at him, only at him.

His hands reached for his shaft and started to gently caress his balls. He started to slowly stroke himself. His eyes closed as his mouth fell open with a silent moan. Naruto’s neck bent back and his hair fell all over the pillow, as his hand was moving a little faster. In his mind it was Kakashi’s hand that was touching him. He remembered Kakashi’s handsome face and that mole right under his lips… Kakashi's lips… he wished Kakashi-Sensei would kiss him. He couldn’t hold back that moan. 

“Ha! Kakashi!” He stroked his cock faster. Sensei’s face was really beautiful. The way he smiled today. He turned his face a little bit so that his nose touched the pillow again. He groaned. “Sensei, Sensei –“ Naruto was panting and all his senses were in overdrive as he started to move his hips into his hands, trying to get more friction. He was so hot, and his body felt like it was on fire. He was so close, and he just wanted to come. As he squeezed his hard erection in his hands, Kakashi's face flashed before his mind again. His cock was throbbing in his hands when he thought about the way he had held him close in the hospital bed. Naruto groaned desperately as he felt his climax approach. Just a little bit more.  _ Kakashi _ . Sweat was dripping from his forehead. His body tensed and arched into his hands as cum splattered all over his hands and his own chest. “Kakashi.” he whimpered. His dick twitched and he desperately rubbed his cock a few more times before his mind was going pleasantly blank. His body felt like it was made of rubber. 

_ That was intense.  _ He thought when he finally started to feel his body again. Kakashi’s intoxicating scent was still all around him. 

He laid there for a moment until he remembered that this was actually  **_not his_ ** Futon. He jumped up and immediately grabbed his boxer shorts.  _ Oh my god. I have to clean this! _ He turned on the lights again and started to clean Kakashi's Futon. He was glad that the Kyuubi stayed quiet throughout his escapade and that he could finish cleaning the Futon and the room in peace. 

It was late when Naruto finished cleaning Kakashi’s Futon and he was pretty tired. He fell asleep as soon as he cuddled into his blankets.

**

Naruto woke up around 10, which was a surprise for him. Because that meant that Kakashi was either not back yet from his mission or that he went to Tsunade straight after his mission was finished. Since they moved in together, Kakashi always made sure that Naruto woke up early. 

Naruto yawned, stretched and got up. Since Kakashi wasn’t home he would use that opportunity to get some Ramen. He took a quick shower, got dressed and hurried outside. Ichiraku was FINALLY opened again and there was nothing in his way to get some of the best food in the world. He ran down the streets, greeting people here and there. Sometimes he talked to some of them and wished them a good day. He met Konohamaru, who was so excited to finally see Naruto again, that he started to cry. It was sweet how much Konohamaru complained when Naruto hugged him, even though he actually snuggled into Naruto’s embrace. After a quick contest of their Sexy-Jutsu, Konohamaru was satisfied and let Naruto go. 

When he entered the Ramen-Restaurant, he smelled the familiar smell. “Oji-saaan! Ayame-nee-chan!” 

They smiled brightly as they saw Naruto. “Naruto! We missed you!” 

“Aww Oji-san! I missed you guys too!” 

“Come on, sit down, we’ll make you some Ramen.”

“Yeiii!” 

Teuchi was getting Naruto's Ramen ready while Ayame was already fussing over Naruto. “Naruto-kun! We are so happy that you are here! It’s just not the same without you.” 

Naruto scratched his neck. “Aw, Thank you Ayame-nee-chan!” 

“Here you go Naruto-kun! Your Ramen!”

Naruto took the chopsticks and just wanted to start eating as he felt a summoning Jutsu call him. “Thank you! Itadaki – ” 

*

“ – masu!” But as he reached for the food, they couldn’t find the Ramen.

“Look! He must have really missed your cooking!” 

Naruto opened his eyes and look around himself for a second. Then he realized that this wasn’t Ramen in his mouth. “Baaaahhhhh! That's not Ramen! Why am I here?!”

Fukasaku looked at him with big eyes. “I called you here, with a reversed summoning Jutsu. The great-wise Lord of the toads wishes to see you, Naruto-chan. He has a prophecy for you.”

After he got the weird taste of bugs out of his mouth, he sat up straight and looked at the two elderly toads in front of him. “A prophecy?”

Fukasaku smiled at him “Come with me.”

They went to the large rooms where the old, giant Lord of the toads sat. While Fukasaku bowed in respect Naruto simply grinned and waved at the old Sage. “Hey! Long time no see, Giant Gramps Sage! Dattebayo!”

The giant toad happily smiled “Oho, it was indeed I, who summoned you… er… umm.”

Naruto and Fukasaku looked at him. It seemed that with all that wisdom the old and great one possessed, he always forgot Narutos name. Even though Naruto was the only human to come here. Fukasaku shook his head. Naruto huffed annoyed. “Uzumaki Naruto! Hmm. I wish you’d hurry up and learn my name, Giant Gramps Sage!”

“Oh, that's right, that’s right. It’s Naruto.” Naruto hoped that they would get to this prophecy. 

The old Sage looked at him intently. “I have a prophecy for you. Are you ready to hear it?”

Naruto stood up straighter and got ready to hear whatever the old Sage had to tell him. 

“Yes. I am ready to hear it.”

“Good. Listen carefully. You will soon meet an Octopus.”

Naruto thought he was ready for any kind of prophecy. He thought that it would have something to do with the Bijuu, or Sasuke or maybe… maybe with a certain silver-haired man? But an Octopus? He felt confused. 

“An… An Octopus?” He saw the tentacle of the creature in front of him. “Why an octopus? Are you sure you don’t see any silver hair?” 

Fukasaku looked at him in confusion. “Silver hair? Why would you want a prophecy about silver hair, Naruto-chan?” 

Naruto laughed in embarrassment. “Haha! Just… Just forget it, will you Fukasaku-san! Now what up with that octopus?”

The old Sage looked at Naruto clearly amused. “Well, I couldn’t see too clearly, but I am sure that they were octopus’ arms. – No silver hair.” 

Naruto felt like his cheeks were on fire.  _ Damn… Why do I get a stupid prophecy about an octopus? Why can’t it be about Kakashi and me? _

“There was something else. You will fight a young man whose power lies in his eyes.”

Naruto's body was stiff. Sasuke. After the talk with Shikamaru he felt like maybe he would be able to find closure but now that he had this prophecy, he felt his mind and his heart starting to race again. Would it really come down to this? His face was grim, and he clenched his fists. He needed to tell Kakashi-Sensei and Sakura-chan about this as soon as he got back. He felt his whole body tense with the weight of the Sages words. “I know.” 

Fukasaku turned to him. “What do you mean, you know?”

Naruto remembered the last time he talked with Sasuke. Would they really kill each other? Would it really end like this? 

The old Sage looked down at Naruto and asked him, “The man whose power lies in his eyes. Do you know who it is?” 

Naruto clenched his fists nervously. “Yes. I have made up my mind.”

The toads around Naruto were silent for a moment and all looked at the blond in acceptance. The Sage nodded and looked to his right where a small black and orange toad sat, who hasn’t said a word since Naruto and Fukasaku entered the great hall. 

“Gerotora…I also saw a dream where you stored yourself inside Naruto. Give him the Yondaime's seal. It is time!” It seemed that the little toad was extremely offended by this, but Naruto tried not to make too much of it. They were debating for some time if this was the right thing to do or not, since giving the key to Naruto's sealing to him, may put him into more danger. But after talking with Gerotora, Fukasaku and the old Sage, they all decided that it would be the best decision to put the key to the sealing inside Naruto. Naruto signed the contract and the toad stored himself inside Naruto. 

Fukasaku watched as Naruto signed the contract – he nodded – Naruto would use this power wisely. Naruto was still kneeling on the floor after feeling sick from getting the storage toad down his throat. 

Fukasaku grinned happily at him. “I will take Naruto back to the village now. After that, we will have to look for the octopus!”

Naruto looked up at him with tears in his eyes. “Oh right… You prophesied that I would meet an octopus. Where will I meet him? Can you give me any clues?” 

The old Sage thought for a moment. He spoke in his deep voice “It looked like a solitary island. Humans don’t go near it. To me, it seems like a fun resort.”

Resort? Like a holiday resort? Maybe he could persuade Tsunade-baa-chan to send him there so he could find that octopus.  _ Maybe Kakashi-Sensei could come with me… Like a holiday… Just the two of us.  _ He was starting to dream and he could feel himself blush. The old Sage was saying something, but Naruto was already far away in his thoughts. He was thinking about ways to persuade Baa-chan to send him to that island and he had to find a way to tell Baa-chan that it would be the best thing to only send him and Kakashi. “Hehe.” Fukasaku looked at him strangely. Naruto looked between Fukasaku and the old Sage. 

“I am sure you will find him there.” He heard the Old One say finally. 

Naruto saluted and bowed. “Yosh! Dattebayo!” 

***


	10. the mission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the mission.  
> the kiss.  
> so many feelings.

Tsunade was in her makeshift office and finally took the time to inform Sakura, Kakashi and Shikamaru that war was truly upon them. 

“This will be the fourth great ninja war. The five great nations have joined their forces.” 

Sakura looked at Tsunade. “The enemy is…” 

“The Akatsuki…” 

Sakura nodded weakly. They would fight the same organization that Sasuke joined, which meant that Sasuke would be her enemy. How would she be able to fight him? 

Tsunade looked at Kakashi. “Also, I want you to keep a very close eye on Naruto. I don’t want him to act recklessly right now. In this war, the Akatsuki's goal is Naruto. – “ 

Tsunade wanted to continue but suddenly there was a knock on the door and Shizune entered. She was out of breath and she looked worried and her hair wildly stood in all directions. 

“What’s wrong Shizune?”

“Just now, Naruto suddenly disappeared from Ichiraku.”

“What?!” Tsunade jumped from her seat. Kakashi's worried eyes met hers. “It’s not possible for Naruto to be kidnapped from this village! Find Naruto immediately!” 

**

Kakashi left the office in a hurry. Where could Naruto be? He would start at their apartment. He wouldn’t panic. He needed to stay calm. He would turn every damn stone in this damn village to find Naruto. He raced over the rooftops and finally arrived at their home. He quickly opened the door.

“Naruto?!” Nothing. “Tss.” As Kakashi walked inside he had somehow hoped that he would find a sleeping blond in their bedroom, but as he opened the door, all that he found were two empty Futons. “Where are you?” He felt desperate. A deep sigh escaped his lungs. The door fell heavy into the locks as he left their apartment. He tried to think of something. He bit his thumb and quickly went through the hand signs. 

“Summoning Jutsu!” Pakkun and Bisuke appeared in a puff of smoke and barked happily at their Boss. “Yo Boss! What’s up?” 

“Pakkun, Bisuke, I need you to find Naruto. It’s urgent.” The Ninken looked at Kakashi and nodded. They immediately put their noses to the ground and tried to find Naruto's scent. Pakkun looked up at Kakashi. “Boss, your scent is really intermingled with Narutos. That’s confusing. Do we need to know something?” Bisuke innocently looked at Kakashi. “Is he pack now?”

Kakashi groaned. Ninken. “We live together. We have to find him.” Bisuke barked happily and Pakkun simply took the information in. They started sniffing for Narutos scent. After a few moments both Ninken sat down with a sad look on their faces. Bisuke was whimpering. 

Kakashi looked at them. “Why are you stopping? Have you found him? Where is he? I need to go immediately!” 

“Boss, we can’t locate him.” 

“Naruto is gone?” Bisuke asked sadly. Naruto always had a sweet spot for Pakkun and Bisuke. They somehow were his favorite Ninken in his pack and sometimes he called them so Naruto could play with them. His Ninken always seemed overjoyed when they saw Naruto and demanded cuddles and hugs. “What do you mean ‘you can’t locate him’? He must be somewhere close. He just disappeared!” 

Pakkun and Bisuke went quiet. They watched Kakashi panicking. He buried his face in his hands and tried to calm himself. “I went away for this short mission. I shouldn’t have left him. I should have left one of you guys with him. What if the Akatsuki got him… or Madara.” Kakashi's hands slipped from his face. He felt desperate and angry, and his brows were drawn together. “I can’t feel his Chakra anywhere.” 

“Boss?” The two Ninken looked at Kakashi waiting for orders. 

“Pukkun. Bisuke. We will look around the village. We have to find him. Scatter.” 

“Yes, Boss!” They immediately jumped to action and ran through the streets of Konoha. 

**

Kakashi tried to stay calm, but right now under the circumstances he wasn’t too sure that he was succeeding. He saw Naruto's innocent smiling face before his eyes and Gaara's lifeless body. What if… His heart was racing as he ran through the streets, hoping that somebody would just come up to him and say ‘Oh, Naruto? Yes, he’s fine. Just saw him at Ichirakus’. 

As he was stressing out over the possibilities of Naruto being kidnapped by the Akatsuki or worst Naruto being killed by Madara, he felt a Chakra surge close by. He gasped. It was Naruto’s Chakra. He called for Pakkun and Bisuke and quickly made his way to the Ramen restaurant.

**

In the meantime, Naruto finally reappeared in a puff of smoke at Ichiraku. Teuchi was surprised to say the least. He immediately called for help after Naruto suddenly disappeared. He was worried that something might have happened to the boy. 

Naruto was embarrassed and he was rubbing his neck. The two Chunin, who happened to be there when Naruto suddenly reappeared, wanted an autograph. Naruto didn’t really know what to say. 

“Mahh.. well you see.. I –“ 

“Narutooo!” Two very excited Ninken made their way into Ichiraku and immediately jumped into Naruto’s arms. Naruto hugged them as they started to lick his face. They cuddled close to him. “Naruto! Boss was so worried about you. Everybody is looking for you! We couldn’t find you!” Bisuke was rambling excited. 

“Bisuke! Pakkun!” Naruto looked at the ninken fondly and cooed at Bisuke as the little dog started to lick his hand. 

The Chunin gapped at Naruto, who cuddled the two ninken and cooed at them. “Are... aren’t those Hatake-san’s ninken?” 

“I guess?” With wide eyes and open mouths, they watched as Bisuke let Naruto scratch his belly. Pakkun lazily rested on Naruto's head and started to chew on the blond hair. 

“Pakkun, Bisuke, I am so sorry that I made everyone worry… I was summoned by Fukasaku-san. What happened? Where is Kakashi-Sensei?” 

“Right here.” A dark voice sounded right behind him. Everyone at Ichiraku shrieked. 

“Mah! Kakashi-Sensei! You scared me to death! Don’t do that!” 

Kakashi glared at him. “Is that so? Pakkun, Bisuke, enough with the cuddles. Go to the Hokage and tell her that Naruto is back in the village. We will meet her soon. Naruto we are leaving. Now.” 

The Ninken went quiet and jumped from Naruto's head and lap. They ran off to bring the message to the Lady-Hokage. Kakashi went back outside. His whole posture demanded that Naruto follow him without disobeying. Naruto felt the tension and decided that it would be best not to start any fight with Kakashi-Sensei now. “Hnnn, guess I’m in trouble… Goodbye, Oji-san.” The others didn’t dare to say anything as Naruto slowly moved from the stool to follow Kakashi outside. 

As Naruto exited Ichiraku he met Kakashi's furious gaze. “We are going home.” Naruto nodded and silently followed Kakashi back to their apartment.

*

The silver-haired man opened the door and they both went inside. Kakashi closed the door behind them and took the mask off. Now Naruto could see his whole face and he realized that Kakashi really looked angry. “Tell me what happened. Do you have any idea what is going on right now? Do you have any idea how worried I wa-… how worried everyone was?!” 

Naruto looked down at the floor. He was getting angry now too. “You know it’s not my fault that Fukasaku called me! They had a prophecy for me, and the old Sage wanted to talk to me! I wasn’t doing anything reckless. I wasn’t doing anything dangerous! I was just sitting at Ichiraku and then, suddenly, they summoned me! I wish you would trust me a little bit more!!” By the end of his explanation he was yelling. He didn’t even know why he got so angry, but he felt hurt, that Kakashi didn’t trust him, and that everyone thought that he was seemingly such an idiot that he always got into trouble. 

“I do trust you! But a criminal organization is running around wildly and they want to kill you! It’s them I don’t trust! It’s Madara I don’t trust! I want you to be alive and safe!”Kakashi felt infuriated, how could Naruto say that he didn’t trust him. Naruto was the one person in the world that he trusted and cared about the most. 

Naruto looked at him with a hurt expression. “I… I know you do. But I feel like everyone thinks I am stupid and that I will just stumble from one disaster into the next, because it’s just me, or because I couldn’t probably do something by myself or because I wouldn’t understand important stuff. I always thought that you were different. That you might actually trust me and talk to me about what’s going on, because you care for me? You know, I am not stupid. I know that the situation with the Akatsuki is dangerous because I’m a Jinchuriku.. I didn’t do anything dangerous. I was with the toads.”

Kakashi felt all his anger melt away. Now he felt guilty at getting so angry with Naruto. “Naruto, I am sorry… When I couldn’t feel your Chakra, I thought…” 

Naruto's eyes found his and they shared a deep look. Naruto took a careful step towards Kakashi and wrapped his arms around his waist. Kakashi’s arms wrapped tightly around Naruto's back. “I am sorry too.” 

It was quiet for a moment. They held each other in a tight embrace and neither wanted to let go. “You know that I don’t think you are stupid, right? I just worry about you –  _ constantly  _ – because of the Akatsuki. I am sorry I yelled at you.”

Naruto chuckled and pressed his face against Kakashi’s shoulder. “I know, Sensei.”

Kakashi let go of Naruto and looked at him intensely. “We should go. Tsunade wants to see you. And you have to tell us about that prophecy.” 

“Yes! Maybe one of you will understand it. Because neither Fukasaku nor me really knew what to make of it. It sounded really weird.” 

Kakashi pulled his mask back up. “Let’s go then.” Kakashi and Naruto got ready to leave their apartment. Naruto grabbed his keys. He closed the door behind them, and they speedily jumped over the rooftops towards Tsunade’s office, where an anxious and fuming Hokage was waiting for the return of her Gaki. As the door opened to a grinning Naruto and a lazily slouching Kakashi. She felt her migraine starting to return. “Narutoooo! Where have you been!?” She growled.

“Ahh Tsunade-baa-chan!” Naruto started to explain the whole story with Fukasaku and the summoning Jutsu.

“Kakashi-Sensei already gave me an earful… I know people are worried. I am sorry. But it wasn’t my fault that Fukasaku summoned me! The old Sage told me a prophecy!” 

Tsunade looked at Kakashi for a moment with a gleam in her eyes. “Did he. Hm? Good. You should know that the people who love you worry about you. Don’t you think so, Kakashi?” She was clearly amused by Kakashi's mumbling and the dark blush on Kakashi and Narutos faces. The other people in the room, Yamato, Shikamaru and Sakura, were also looking at the two while trying to hide their amusement. She was a bad woman. She found too much entertainment in making Kakashi squirm. “Now! What was the prophecy about? Let’s hear it!” 

Naruto looked insecure and he tried to find the right words. “Hmm… well you see…”

“Well?” Everyone looked excited. Tsunade was awaiting a great revelation, something like the prophecy that Jiraiya got, all those years ago. 

“I’m gonna go to some resort and meet an octopus!”

Shikamaru looked at his friend like he suddenly grew another head. “Huh? An octopus?” 

Tsunade, Kakashi and Yamato shared a confused look. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Well, that octopus is going to help me somehow, but the great old Sage wasn’t too sure either. And he also said something about Sasuke…” 

Everyone was very quiet. Tsunade already had a talk with the Council and Elders about Sasuke. Shikamaru had told her about the meeting with Team 7. It was already decided that Uchiha Sasuke's picture would not be taken out of the Bingo Books and that he would not be taken back as a shinobi or citizen of Konoha. He was officially banished and as such he would be hunted down one way or another. She sighed deeply. “What did he say?” 

“He said that I would end up fighting Sasuke.” A tense silence followed. Naruto told Sakura that it would be alright and that he would take care of Sasuke. Tsunade watched them for a moment. Her eyes flickered over to where Kakashi stood. His eyes were cast down. Suddenly she felt very tired and very old as she watched that stupid boy. 

**

Sakura decided to get ready for the battle in her own way. She went to the hospital and talked to the medics. She wanted to know how to work best in a battle situation and how to treat wounded best on the battlefield. While Sakura got ready to work as a field medic, Tsunade went to the next war meeting with the other Kage. 

She realized quickly that the Raikage had very different views and opinions, but on the other hand, their interests aligned. In the case of protecting Bee and Naruto the Raikage and Tsunade found a common ground. She didn’t like the thought of hiding Naruto and Bee, but she was willing to do anything, if it meant that her Gaki was safe. After the meeting she spoke to the Raikage alone. She saw a chance in this alliance. Maybe this would be the chance that Naruto needed. She knew that the Jinchuriki of the Hachibi was able to control the Chakra of the Bijuu. Maybe he could teach Naruto. She was surprised when the Raikage told her that he already considered that some time ago. He was thinking about sending Bee and Naruto on an island to train. Tsunade was grateful when they parted and decided to tell Naruto as soon as she got back to the village that he would leave for an S-ranked mission. Maybe it would be easier to convince him to leave. Otherwise he would want to stay and demand to fight in the war and that was absolutely impossible. 

**

She called Kakashi to her office as soon as she returned. First, she would tell him about the Raikage's idea. Tsunade wasn’t so sure if Kakashi would like the idea of sending Naruto on a faraway island to train with Bee. It was noon when Kakashi entered the office and greeted the Hokage formally.

“Hokage-sama, you called for me?”

“Yes, Kakashi. There is something I need to talk to you about. I just got back from the meeting with the other Kage, and I was also speaking with the Raikage you see,… we talked about Bee and Naruto.” She was carefully and deliberately looking at him. 

He nodded. “I understand Hokage-sama.” There was an unspoken question in his voice. “What did you speak about?”

“Kakashi. Naruto has to leave the village. The Raikage told me about an island where he trained with his brother, when they were younger. It is very secluded, and his brother learned to control the Bijuu Chakra there. We decided to send Bee and Naruto there while the war poses a threat to the Jinchuriki.” 

“When will I be leaving with Naruto?” He carefully asked, hoping that the Hokage would let him go with Naruto. Tsunade took in a heavy breath. She averted his pleading gaze for a moment before she looked at him with sad eyes. “You won’t be going with Naruto. I need you to do something else.” 

“Tsunade-sama!” He tried to argue for a moment but she cut him off.

“Kakashi. I am sorry. There aren’t that many war veterans left… And it has been decided that you will lead the troops into battle. – “ She saw the hurt in his eyes – followed by acceptance. Duty. “I am sorry, Kakashi. I will let you pick three shinobi that will accompany Naruto on his mission. You have until tonight. They will leave tomorrow morning.” 

“I see. Tomorrow.” He stood in front of here. Stiff. The perfect shinobi. Always following orders. But she saw the deep hurt in his eyes. “I will let you know my decisions as soon as possible. May I take my leave, Hokage-sama?” 

She nodded. “Of course. You are dismissed.” 

**

He left the office and clenched his fists. Aimlessly he walked around the village. He needed to decide who he would send on this mission with Naruto. Who would he trust enough to protect Naruto while he wasn’t with him. 

The streets of the village were busy. Parents and children were running around. Some of the other Jonin were greeting him along his way, but he didn’t register them because he was deep in his thoughts. He went to the little park that was not far away from the new Hokage office. He sat down under the new growing trees. He stared at the Hokage Mountain and looked at the face of the Yondaime. They had survived the attack and Kakashi tried to find wisdom in his Sensei’s stone face. 

“Minato-Sensei…what should I do?” He sat down in a park and thought about the past few days that they had been living together. What would happen during the war? Would he survive another war? What would happen after the war? It was late august now, maybe the war would be over by the time Naruto’s birthday in October came along. He would be 18 then. He closed his eyes and tried to enjoy the warm summer breeze that ruffled the leaves of the trees that he was sitting under. It was still very hot, and most people tried to avoid the midday heat. Kakashi watched how the leaves moved in the summer wind. Who should he decide on? 

Yamato obviously. Naruto trusted and liked him. Yamato liked Naruto too and he cared for him. Yamato was strong enough to stand his ground against anyone and they have fought against Akatsuki before… Kakashi respected and trusted him implicitly. Nr. 1. Who else… 

He got up from the bench and walked over to the tree to sit in its shade. His entire form sank down and he dropped his hands over his knees. He closed his eyes. There was just one other shinobi that had his trust completely. Gai was his best friend. He was trustworthy, strong and fiercely loyal. Gai would understand the significance of this mission immediately, without Kakashi telling him why it was so important to him that he went with Naruto. Well, well, Nr. 2.

He groaned. He wished that didn’t come so easy to him. Maybe if he just didn’t show up at Tsunade's office… or maybe if he told her that there was nobody qualified… No that wouldn’t do. He just had to find someone. He thought about all the shinobi that currently were present in the village. 

Aoba would be a good choice. He’s a Tokubetsu Jonin, who specialized in fire Jutsu and paralyzing the enemy. Also, he has impressive skills in intel-gathering. Kakashi appreciated and profited from Aoba's knowledge on previous missions. He was sure that Aoba would be a very important asset to this team. Nr.3. 

He watched as the people walked by. Totally oblivious to the dilemma he was in. The wind was softly blowing through his hair and the sun was slowly going down over the Hokage Mountain. Gai, Yamato and Aoba. He would go to Tsunade right now and tell her about his choices. He got up and groaned with annoyance. No way back. He had his orders. Sluggishly he made his way back to the office to tell the Hokage which people he had decided on. 

The streets were still busy. People were walking hastily from one shop to the other and people were talking loudly as Kakashi walked through the market streets. He looked around the stalls and he thought about what he should cook tonight. He should make dinner for them. Naruto would be leaving tomorrow. Better make the best of the time they had together. He knew better than to simply assume that they would see each other after the war, or that everything would be just like now. He crossed the last street and walked up to the building in which the Hokage office resided. 

He knocked. 

“Enter!” Tsunade yelled.

Kakashi hesitated as he entered the room. 

“Kakashi. That was quick. Have you decided?”

“Yes, Tsunade-sama.” 

“Good. Who will go with Naruto?” 

“I have decided on Yamato, Gai and Aoba.”

Tsunade nodded in approval. “Very good choices. I approve. I will notify them right away. There is something else I want you to do.” 

“How else can I be of service, Hokage-sama?” He glared at her. 

She understood that, right now, he didn’t want to be here. He didn’t want to be the perfect shinobi. He probably only wanted to go home – to Naruto. “I want you to go home. I told Naruto that he will leave on a mission tomorrow. He was taking it… well.” 

Kakashi was confused. “That sounds ominous. If he took it well, why should I worry?” 

“Hmm. He asked me if you would be coming with him on the mission. I told him no, because you had other duties to fulfill. He simply smiled and left. He never does that, and I feel like he knows that this ‘S-rank mission’ is simply a way to get him as far away from all of this as possible.” 

Kakashi huffed. “I see. I will talk to him.” 

“Good. You may leave then.” 

“Thank you. Have a good night Tsunade-sama.” 

He turned around and got ready to leave. “You should make Gai Team leader.” He said and left the office to finally make his way back home. 

**

He felt bone tired and mentally exhausted when he stood in front of the apartment. He heard Naruto rattle inside. He pulled out his key and opened the front door.

“Naruto?” he called inside the apartment as he sat down to take off his shoes. 

Something was burning in here. He pulled down his mask and put his jacket away.

“Naruto are you cooking? You remember our rules about cooking?” Kakashi went into the living room and watched as Naruto aggressively put some more vegetables into the frying pan. “I am making Yakisoba.” He groaned.

Kakashi sat down at the table and watched for a little while. “Do you want my help?” 

He put the pan back on the stove a little too harshly. “NO!” he yelled and aggressively worked on the noodles and the vegetables. “No, thank you.” 

It was quite in the apartment except for the sizzling sound of the vegetables and the cooking noodles in the water. Naruto held onto the pan and his knuckles were turning white. His eyes were down cast. 

“Tsunade told me that she already informed you about your new mission.” Kakashi asked carefully. 

As Naruto put the noodles into the frying pan the sizzling sounds got a little louder. He added soy sauce because he knew that Kakashi liked that. 

“Yes, she told me. I will be leaving the village tomorrow. She also told me that you would be telling me who will go on the mission with me… Because you picked them. So? –“ He heard the passive-aggressive undertone in Naruto’s voice. The hurt and the disappointment in his voice was so clear that Kakashi had to look away. “Who will be going on that ‘ _ mission’ _ with me?” 

“I picked Gai, Yamato and Aoba.” Kakashi told him shortly.

Naruto took the pan off the stove and turned it off. He put the pan on the table. He stood in front of Kakashi and deeply looked into his eyes.

“It wasn’t my choice Naruto. If I could, I would go with you.” 

Naruto nodded sullenly. He went back to the kitchen and got them some plates and some chopsticks. The tension and the unease were tangible. They were eating in silence and neither of them wanted to look at the other. Kakashi decided to do the dishes while Naruto took a long hot shower, after which he immediately went to bed. Kakashi sighed and went to the bathroom as well. He took a quick shower and got cleaned up. He took his Yukata which he brought to the bathroom with him. After his usual round in the apartment, where he made sure that the door was locked and all the lights were turned off, he silently closed the bedroom door and turned off the light there as well. 

Kakashi thought that maybe Naruto was asleep already, so he tried to be very quiet as he went to bed. He laid down on his Futon and pulled the blankets over his body. He sighed deeply. It was quiet for several minutes.

“I don’t want to leave.” He suddenly heard Naruto whisper. “That’s why I was so angry. I just don’t want to leave … you.” 

Kakashi turned his head towards Naruto’s Futon. “I don’t want you to leave either.” He whispered. Slowly reaching out with one hand. 

Naruto’s lip was quivering as he registered Kakashi reaching out to him. He moved his hand under the heavy blankets and slowly it was reaching for Kakashi’s hand as well. The fingers gently touched and soon their hands were softly caressing each other. 

Kakashi took Naruto’s hand in his and squeezed it gently. “I asked her to send me with you. But she didn’t allow it.” He whispered into the darkness of the room. 

Naruto sniffed. “I thought you didn’t want to go with me… I thought that you were sending me away.“ 

“I would never send you away. I want to be with you. But I – “ He wasn’t allowed to say that he would be leading the troops. It was Tsunade’s wish that Naruto should be kept away from the war. 

Naruto's body moved closer to the edge of his Futon. Closer to Kakashi. He wanted to be close to Kakashi – like that night in the hospital – when Kakashi held him in his arms. He sniffed again. His hold on Kakashi's hand was tight and he felt Kakashi's thumb caressing his hand softly. “Kakashi-Sensei?” 

“Yes?” 

“Would you hold me? Just for tonight… Like in the hospital.” 

Kakashi swallowed. He looked into the darkness of the room. The only light that was illuminating them was the lantern that was strangely glowing outside their bedroom. He saw Narutos pleading blue eyes and his sweet face. Naruto’s blond hair was tousled and all over his pillow.

“Sure...” He let go of Naruto’s hand and flapped the blanket away to give Naruto some space to move closer to him. He watched as Naruto got up from his Futon and slowly moved across the floor to Kakashi’s Futon. 

Naruto kneeled before the Jonin and looked down at Kakashi's body for a moment. Kakashi’s hair was messy all over the pillow and the belt was loosely keeping his Yukata together. The way that the fabric was sensually caressing the muscular body. Naruto tried not to drool all over his Sensei.  _ ‘It’s unfair that my Sensei is so attractive’  _ Naruto laid down next to Kakashi. His head rested on Kakashi's right arm, right at the nook of his neck. He gently rested a hand on Kakashi’s chest and clenched the fabric of the Yukata. Kakashi’s left arm automatically went around Naruto’s waist to pull him closer. Kakashi felt how Naruto melted against his body. He buried his face in Naruto’s blond locks. Naruto’s scent – sunflowers and sunshine – surrounded him. He closed his eyes and tried to relax. 

Naruto pressed his face in Kakashi’s neck. His arms were holding him so tightly. There wasn’t a place on earth he felt saver that right here – right here in Kakashi’s arms. His hand was touching Kakashi’s chest. He felt totally embarrassed at what that did to him. But Kakashi was so muscular and so handsome. When they were at home Kakashi didn’t wear his mask anymore and Naruto loved looking at his face. He didn’t want to leave the village – not now when they finally started to get closer! A frustrated groan left his mouth. 

“Sorry, too tight?” 

“No!” Naruto snuggled closer to Kakashi. 

Kakashi’s hands were gently rubbing Naruto's back. “You should sleep. You have a long day ahead of you.” 

“Hmm.. Can I ask you something, Sensei?” Naruto mumbled. Still a little grumpy. 

“Of course. What is it?” 

Naruto moved his face away from Kakashi’s shoulder so that he could look at the silver-haired man. 

“Yamato, Gai and Aoba… Why did you pick them to come with me?” He intently watched Kakashi’s reaction. 

Kakashi’s hand stopped rubbing his back. “I picked them because,” He swallowed. Naruto’s face was so close to his. His blue eyes wide open and full of innocence. He felt the pressure of his feelings and the entire situation pressing down on him. “Yamato, Gai and Aoba are the people that I trust above everyone else to protect the one I care about most in this world,… when I cannot be with … you...” He would stay Naruto’s Sensei if he had to, he would stay his friend if Naruto wanted that. He would be anything that Naruto wanted. Just as long as he would be allowed to be close to him. 

“Kakashi…” Naruto whispered as Kakashi’s hand moved from his back over his arm and softly settled against his whiskered cheek. “Promise me, that you will stay with them at all times.” Kakashi whispered. 

Naruto watched his face mesmerized. Even though it was dark in their room he could see the tender look on Kakashi’s face. He nuzzled into Kakashi’s hand. “I promise.” Kakashi’s hand was soft and warm. Naruto smiled. Kakashi’s thumb traced slow intricate designs on his cheek. He closed his eyes and cooed in delight at the feeling. Kakashi’s thumb traced lower and gently touched his chin. Naruto opened his eyes again to look at Kakashi’s eyes again. He was still watching Naruto so tenderly but there was something different now as well – something feral. The thumb lightly traced his bottom lip. The contact made his body tense up and shiver. He couldn’t believe that Kakashi actually touched him like that. He dreamed about that. His eyes darted up and their eyes met. 

The thumb gently traced the soft lip and pulled at the bottom lip. Kakashi’s mouth was slightly open and his heart was racing. He was starting to breath heavily. What was he doing? He should stop this.

Naruto still felt Kakashi’s finger slowly trace his bottom lip. Their eye contact was never breaking. Naruto wished that Kakashi would say something or do something. He was getting anxious. The thumb slowly moved down to his chin again and Naruto felt like the moment was broken but Kakashi was still looking at him with that fire in his eyes. He felt how Kakashi’s other arm held him tightly pressed to his body. 

Kakashi touched that soft skin on Naruto's cheek and slowly traced his cheekbones, his neck, his chin… and Naruto’s lips.  _ I need to stop this right now! _ Kakashi thought as he battled with himself. Naruto’s lip was so soft against his calloused thumb. Calloused from years of fighting and training. He looked at that sweet face and those soft lips. All he wanted was to kiss him. Just a few centimeters and they would kiss. He just had to lean forward, and those lips would be his. His breath was going faster. Their eyes met and he saw Naruto looking at him with an intense gaze. “Kakashi-Sensei.” Naruto whimpered so sweetly. Kakashi was going insane. He watched as Naruto closed his eyes. He felt how Naruto nuzzled into his hand and pulled at the fabric on his Yukata tightly. He only had to lean in…

“Naruto.” He whispered as he closed the distance between them. His lips gently moved against Naruto’s. It felt incredible – like nothing he had ever felt before. Naruto’s hands made their way into his hair and gently caressed the strands. Their lips moved in a sensual dance. Naruto moaned against his lips when Kakashi sensually sucked on his bottom lip. Kakashi wanted to savor that moment, as their lips were tightly pressed against each other, for as long as he could.

_ That moment when you were mine.  _

***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kudos and comments are love.  
> 


	11. Feelings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kakashi and Naruto talk about last night  
> Naruto has to leave for the mission  
> the guys are now alone on the sea

When Kakashi woke up he felt a weight pressing him down into the mattress. He felt disoriented for a second before he remembered that it was Naruto who was sprawled all over himself. Kakashi felt vulnerable all of a sudden. All of his feelings came crashing down on him. He couldn’t believe that he actually gave into his desires so easily… But it felt so good to simply feel and love again. For the longest time he was sure that he would never be able to feel like this again. But just one look, one smile –  _ one kiss _ – from Naruto, and he felt like his heart was alive again. When they kissed, he thought about the future and …  _ what could be…  _

*

When his father had taken his own life, he still had his team and Minato-Sensei. When Obito died, he still had a goal, a purpose – to protect Rin – and he had Sensei and Kushina-san. When Rin died… It was bad. But Sensei and Kushina-san were there to help him. He still had a purpose. But when Sensei and Kushina-san were killed, he was drowning in his loneliness. He felt how hollow his heart had become and how every feeling had left his body. It got better when Sandaime made him take his Genin team. Kakashi realized that his heart stopped hurting so much when Naruto smiled at him. It got bad again when Naruto left the village… but when the blond came back, three years later, his heart was racing.

*

He rolled the sleeping blond off him so that he could get up. Naruto mumbled for a moment only to cuddle back into Kakashi's blankets. He watched with amusement as Naruto grabbed his pillow and hugged it to his chest. Kakashi wrapped him up in his sheets and quietly left the bedroom. He went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for them. Naruto would be leaving today, and he wanted the blond to at least have a quick breakfast before he left the village. From experience he knew that meeting Gais excitement on an empty stomach was not the best idea. He set the table and prepared their tea. As he looked at the watch, he felt like that was all the extra sleep that he would be able to give Naruto, so he went back to the bedroom to wake him up. He kneeled next to the Futon, and gently touched the blond's shoulder. “Naruto? Wake up. You have to get ready for your mission.” 

A groan was all that he was able to coax out of Naruto. He chuckled. “I made breakfast. You should eat something before you leave.” 

Another groan. 

“Don’t you wanna say goodbye to your friends before you leave?”

Naruto moaned and tried to bury his head under the pillow. 

“Alright. Don’t you wanna say goodbye to me before you leave?” 

Naruto shot up from the Futon and wildly stared at Kakashi. “What?! Of course I want to say goodbye to you! Why? Are you going somewhere?”

Kakashi grinned at him wickedly. “Great. You are awake. That means we can eat and then you have to pack your things. It’s 8. You will meet your team in one hour, so we have plenty of time.” He got up and went back to the kitchen to get their tea. 

“Senseiiiii!! That was mean! You tricked me.” 

“I have to use drastic measures to get you out of bed. Especially today. You have a mission.” 

Naruto sluggishly got out of bed and slowly moved to the dining table to sit in his usual spot across from Kakashi. They looked at each other. Neither knew how to address what had happened last night. They felt embarrassed and Naruto felt himself blush as he looked at Kakashi's face. His eyes drifted down to his lips – lips that kissed him last night.  _ My first real kiss… _ Naruto thought.  _ The others definitely don’t count _ .

They ate in silence since neither of them knew how to handle the situation and the kiss was a lot to think about. Naruto finished his breakfast and hastily got up to pack his things.  _ I wish he would say something. Did it mean the same thing to him as it did for me? What if he didn’t like it and regrets it now. What if I’m a bad kisser? What if he’s glad that I am leaving… _ Naruto's thoughts went spiraling as he thought about the kiss. He grabbed some shirts and pants and put them into his bag. He couldn’t stop thinking about Kakashi’s lips, and how amazing it felt. It meant everything to him. 

Kakashi walked into the bedroom and watched him from the door. Naruto stopped his movements and looked up. Their eyes met. “I wish we had more time to talk about last night.” 

Naruto’s gaze fell on his lap. He held a couple Kunai and quickly stored them away. The rest were put into storage scrolls. “Yes. I guess...” He said quietly. 

Kakashi moved closer to him and sat down in front of him. He grabbed his hand. “Naruto. I want you to know how much you mean to me.” 

Naruto blushed as he looked at their entwined fingers. Kakashi’s hand was big and warm as he squeezed his fingers tightly. His hand was a little sweaty though – was he nervous? 

“I never want to hurt you or do anything that you don’t want. If you – “

Naruto squeezed his hand gently to stop him. “But I wanted you to kiss me. I want… you to kiss me.” The last part was only whispered. His cheeks burned as he spoke. He couldn’t believe that he said that. Shyly he looked up at Kakashi through his lashes. He saw that there was a pink dust on Kakashi’s cheek as well. The silver-hair fell into his face. 

He gazed at Naruto with a tender look as he leaned forward. Kakashi gently reached for Naruto's cheek. He softly caressed the whiskered skin and carefully moved some of the tousled blond hair out of Naruto's face. “Naruto,… While you are on this mission… Think about what it is that you want. Try to think about your feelings and examine your heart.” 

Naruto was so confused. He just told Kakashi-Sensei what he wanted. Didn’t he? “What do you mean?” 

“Do you just want me to kiss you or do you want more? Think about what it is that you want in your future. There is no reason for us to hurry. Explore your feelings at your own pace. We have all the time in the world.” That might have been a lie. Kakashi would be called to the war council soon to lead the troops. He would be far away from Naruto and he may never see him again. But he didn’t see any reason why he should make Naruto worry right now. 

Naruto looked at him a little confused and a little annoyed. But he nodded in acceptance. “Alright. I will think about it.” Kakashi pulled him into an embrace. Naruto pressed his face against Kakashi's shoulder and wrapped his arms around Kakashi's neck. 

“When I am on my mission… What will you do?”

“I will wait for you.” The silver-haired man quietly said. 

Naruto sniffed and hugged him tighter. 

“Distance is not important, Naruto. I will always care for you. Please take care of yourself and remember what you promised me. – “ Kakashi looked at him with an imploring gaze. “You must always stick to Gai and the others.” 

“I promise.”

**

Naruto met his team at 9.00 o’clock at the Gates. Yamato-taicho, Gai-Sensei and Aoba-san had been waiting for him. Naruto was immediately engulfed in a friendly hug by Gai-Sensei who was as excited as ever and told Naruto (or rather screamed at him) about the joy of youthful companionship and what great fun this mission would be. Yamato started fussing around Naruto as soon as he saw him. Naruto smiled. He would never admit it out loud, but he liked Yamato-Taicho’s caring nature very much. 

Aoba watched the three and thought about how confused and amazed he was when Tsunade told him that he would be part of this secret mission. She told him that Kakashi-san had picked him and two other elite shinobi, to take Naruto to an island, in the land of lightning, where he and the Bijuu would be safe during the war against Madara. Kakashi was not allowed to leave the village with Naruto on this mission, because he had to lead the troops in this war, but he had picked three shinobi he trusted, that would protect Naruto.

_ “If he picked you to protect Naruto… It seems that Kakashi knows that what’s most important to him will be well protected.”  _ Tsunade had told him. He didn’t understand it at that time. It was so cryptic. He felt honored about the trust that was put in him and got ready for his mission. 

Yamato stood next to Naruto. He had his arm loosely put around the blond. Naruto was trying to get information out of the wood-user. Yamato was smiling warmly at Naruto. “Haha, no! No, Naruto, I won’t tell you where we are going. You will see sooner or later anyway. Don’t worry. It will be alright.” Naruto was grinning as he childishly fought against Yamato and tried again. “Oh, come on! Don’t say that! You can tell me!” Naruto didn’t give up so easily. 

“I’ll explain later.” Yamato patted Naruto's hair. 

“Tsss. Aww. Yamato-Taicho is such a meanie!” Naruto pouted. 

Aoba watched the interaction between the two and couldn’t help but frown. He knew from Tsunade-samas information that Yamato and Naruto were close, but this was a little too much for his taste. He preferred a professional distance. He also questioned the relationship between Kakashi-san and Naruto-kun. What was this relationship all about and why was Kakashi-san allowed to pick the team that would take Naruto-kun to this island when it would be the Hokages duties to pick such a team of elite shinobi? Aoba watched Yamato’s and Naruto’s bickering for some more time. Naruto giggled at Yamato's antics and his behavior, while Yamato gently patted Naruto’s blonde hair. 

They finally got ready to leave and with a last wistful look at the village, Naruto and the others moved away from Konoha.

**

After some troubles at the beginning they finally made it to their boat and were able to leave shore. Along their way they had to face some problems such as ghost ships, poisonous mushrooms or Naruto’s imposter and other weird or dangerous things. Some were funny, others were dangerous and he started to understand why Yamato was fussing over Naruto all the time. 

Gai also seemed focused on this mission, not less energetic or enthusiastic than usual, but he was very serious. Aoba had undertaken missions with Gai before and he couldn’t remember that Gai was ever that concentrated before. Gai was always very reliable, and you could always count on him, but he was always more on the fun side of things. He was surprised that Kakashi-san made him Team Leader on this mission. Aoba thought a lot about Kakashi-san’s decisions regarding this mission. He was sure that he was picked because he was a Tokubetsu-Jonin, but also because he had Sensor-abilities. Yamato must have been picked because of his wood-Jutsu and because of his strong bond to Naruto and Gai… Well, to be honest, Aoba wasn’t sure, why Gai-san was picked to be on this mission and to lead it? 

** 

It was getting dark outside as Aoba was starting his guard duty. He was lazily strolling on the deck of their ship. He saw Gai-san and Naruto-kun sitting side by side, laughing at some joke that Gai-san made. It wasn’t late enough for them to be heading back inside under deck. So everyone was outside on deck. Some were trying to relax a little after their latest excitement, others were simply catching some sunlight. Naruto and Gai were dangling their feet over the starboard railing. Naruto threw his head back and held his stomach as he loudly laughed. Gai patted his back and laughed in his usual boisterous manner. Naruto wiped his eyes. “Gai-Sensei, that can’t be true!” 

“I swear, Naruto-kun!” 

“Haha!” 

Aoba felt weird when he watched those two. It was the same feeling he realized when he watched Yamato and Naruto. He could not pinpoint it, but he saw how close Yamato and Gai were to Naruto, how easy the interaction with Naruto came to them, and how much those two wanted to protect the young shinobi. Of course he wanted to protect Naruto as well… It was their mission after all. He was chosen for this mission just like Yamato-san and Gai-san, wasn’t he? He didn’t know what to think of this situation. Maybe he was thinking about this the wrong way? 

“Gai-Sensei, tell me again, please! Dattebayooo!” He listened to Naruto’s brilliant laughter for a little while longer and turned around. He went to the other side of the deck and watched the waves of the sea behind the moving ship. The water was deep and dark – a stark contrast to the sky. The sun was coloring the sky in deep orange and red shades. Aoba felt Yamato approach him. “It feels very quiet today. Doesn’t it?” 

“Yamato-san.” He nodded at the other man. “Yes, indeed it does.” 

“I am glad that we finally have some peace on this journey.” 

Aoba nodded again. “Yes. Me too. It was getting a bit tedious.” 

Yamato watched him intently. “Aoba-san, this mission is very important. I don’t think I have to tell you this. Please be careful. Gai-san and I are watching you. Kakashi-senpai picked you, so he obviously trusts you.” 

Aoba bowed respectfully before Yamato. “Of course. I was a bit surprised by Kakashi-sans decision. But I promise that I will make sure that Madara won’t get his hands on the Bijuu.” 

Yamato cringed and clenched his fists. He gritted his teeth. “What?” 

“I assumed that this mission was only to make sure that the Bijuu was safe? Naruto is the Jinchuriki after all... I assumed that our mission was to make sure that the Bijuu never fell into the hands of the enemy during the war? That’s why we have this tedious mission to take Naruto to the Island in ... –“ 

He couldn’t finish because Aoba felt a fist connect with his cheek. “Naruto isn’t just a Jinchuriki!” Yamato kneeled above the other man and punched his face. “Naruto is very precious to many people!” 

Aoba was shocked that his words provoked such a violent reaction in the peaceful and calm man. He grunted as he felt the fist connect with his nose. He heard quick footsteps and screams but since his mind was so focused on the pain in his face, he couldn’t make out what happened and who was talking. 

“Yamato-Taicho! Stop it! Dattebayo!” That was Naruto. Suddenly Yamato was pulled away from Aoba. His broken glasses were lying next to him on the wooden floor of the ship. Gai and Naruto were holding Yamato at his shoulders. 

Aoba grunted and gently touched his nose. He tried to sit up. He felt Gai’s angry look on him. “What happened here?” 

He lowered his gaze to his lap. “We were talking about the mission… I may have made a wrong assumption…” 

“A very wrong assumption!” Yamato pulled free from Naruto's grasp and was ready for another confrontation. Gai stepped between them. 

“I see. Well, Naruto-kun, why don’t you take Yamato inside? I will talk to Aoba-san. I am sure that we will follow you soon. Don’t worry.” Gai patted Naruto’s shoulder and encouragingly smiled at his worried look. “I guess tonight we will need some time for youthful bonding! Yosh!” Gai pumped his fist with enthusiasm. 

Everybody looked at Gai with a wary gaze and cringed. “Gai-Sensei,… that sounded so wrong.” Naruto and Yamato looked at each other before they got up and left Gai with Aoba. They left the stern side of the ship to move inside to the cabins of the ship. 

**

Naruto watched Yamato’s back as they walked downstairs. He had never seen Yamato-Taicho like this.

_ Something that Aoba-san said must have really made Yamato-Taicho really angry! I mean, have seen Yamato-Taicho angry, but never like this… He was always nice to me, even when he was angry. –  _ Naruto though for a second  _ – Even when I ran away to help Sakura-chan and Kakashi-Sensei with Sasuke-Teme.  _

He watched the other move towards the main cabin, where they always ate together. Yamato took two cups from the cupboards and poured them some tea. He gestured to Naruto to sit down. Naruto quietly sat down at the table and waited for Yamato to do the same. He put one of the cups in front of Naruto and gently sipped on his own. Yamato looked down at the cup between his hands. It had a calming effect on his nerves. He still felt riled up from Aoba's words.

“So… You punched Aoba-san in the face. Will you tell me why?” Naruto nervously asked.

Of course he trusted Senpai's choice, but when he heard that Aoba would be on their team he wasn’t so sure that he would fit in. It was quite the contrary with Gai-san, he knew that he could trust Gai-san completely with Naruto's safety. Yamato knew that Gai was able to protect Naruto and that he was able keep up with the blond’s energy. Yamato met Gai the same evening he got notified about the mission. Tsunade told them about Kakashi-Senpai’s duties and why he wasn’t able to leave with Naruto. The Hokage told them that it was Kakashi’s wish that Gai should lead the team. They looked at each other that night and simply nodded a silent understanding passing between them. Kakashi told them in his own way, that he wanted his best friend to lead this mission and to protect what was most precious to him. 

Yamato sighed. “You are very important to many people, who will never let anything happen to you.” 

Naruto blushed and looked at Yamato. He scratched his cheek in a silly way and grinned shyly. “Thank you.” Yamato chuckled. He looked at Naruto. Sometimes he forgot how grown up Naruto already was. He would be 18 in 2 months. But he still was the same old Naruto who couldn’t get up in the morning, who started fights over dinner and who was obsessed with Ramen. “Kakashi-Senpai picked the team for this mission. I am sure he told you.” 

Naruto’s face grew serious again. “Yes, we talked before I left. He told me… We… Well, we had a little fight about this. But we are good. I guess.” 

Yamato looked at him imploringly. “Oh? You had a fight? Why?” 

“Hn… I didn’t actually want to leave. I know I should be glad about this S-ranked mission and all, but I really wanted to stay in the village, because…- “ Naruto’s face was taking all shades of red as he was talking. 

Yamato grinned devilishly at him. “Oh? Could this be about love?” He laughed as Naruto stuttered and accidentally tipped over his tea that was now all over him. “So it is?” He looked at the other man in front of him who nervously tried to wipe away the tea. Naruto took off his jacket that was now completely soaked in tea. 

“Ah… well… I don’t know. I have never been in love before, you know? But I feel so much for K- that person.” He blushed like crazy. He had almost said his name! He fiddled with his hands in his lap. 

Yamato's brows went up. That was supposed to be a name, if he wasn’t completely wrong. He sighed. So he was right. K – Well, well. “I see. Well, I am sure that this person cares for you too. You have all the time in the world to find out what you feel for that person and when you find the answer you can tell them.” 

Naruto watched Yamato's expression carefully. “You know,… that is very similar to what that person told me.” 

Yamato was surprised. “Oh? So, you two talked?” 

Naruto suddenly looked very sullen and forlorn. “Yes. We talked after… Well…” It seemed like Naruto wanted to tell him something, but he couldn’t. Naruto let his head fall to the table. His hands ruffled his hair and he furiously rubbed over eyes, as if he could hide that his eyes started tearing up. He sniffed. 

Yamato reached for Naruto's hair and gently combed his fingers through the blond locks. “What happened between you and Senpai?”

Narutos head snapped up and he gaped at Yamato. “What? How? I didn’t say anything!” 

“You didn’t have to. I know you and I know Senpai. Did something happen between you two before we left the village?” 

It was quite in the cabin. Naruto tried to bring order to his chaotic thoughts and feelings. He couldn’t believe that Yamato-Taicho knew that there was something between him and Kakashi-Sensei. He couldn’t even put a name to it, because even though Kakashi told him to think about his feelings and to examine his heart he never had time to actually think because they were constantly on the move and Naruto barely had a free moment to think about Kakashi. But when he went to bed, and he was on the edge of falling asleep he started to dream about Kakashi’s kiss and about his embrace. He thought about how much he missed him. But he realized how much those thoughts hurt him so he tried to bury them. Yamato was still watching him with the same nonjudgmental and warm expression. His shoulders slumped and his eyelids dropped. He took in a deep breath.

“We kissed. But we didn’t really talk about it, since I had to leave the next morning. Kakashi only told me that I should think about my feelings and what I wanted from the future. He told me that I should examine my heart. I am not so sure what that means… he means so much to me… more than anyone else. You know Kakashi and I share an apartment at the moment? That’s great and all, but what if I am the only one that actually likes it, and what if he wants to move out as soon as possible? I know how much he values his privacy. I guess I also stress so much about all of that because I worry if he still sees me as his student or if he sees me as a man that he could be with… I just don’t know how love feels, because I have never been in love before … him.” His hands rubbed at his face and his cheeks and tried to hide his blush and his teary eyes. Yamato watched as suddenly all those buried feelings and frustrations broke free from Naruto. “I am sorry… I shouldn’t have…-“

Yamato stopped him. “It’s alright. I had a feeling for quite some time that there was ‘something’ between you and Senpai. I think that Senpai wanted to make sure you knew how important you are to him and that you are the most precious person in his life. He told you those things, because he knew that you would need more time to reflect about the kiss and your feelings. Don’t you agree with that?” Yamato smiled at Naruto who seemed impossible young right now. 

“I guess… I just wanted him to tell me ‘something’. I wasn’t even sure what that  _ something  _ was. And when he told me all of those things about examining my heart and feelings and stuff – I felt so confused. Maybe you are right…” 

Yamato took a sip from his tea. Naruto leaned back in his seat and looked up at the ceiling.    
Yamato watched Naruto who seemingly was in deep contemplation. He drank some more tea. He was surprised about the development in Kakashi’s and Naruto’s relationship. He actually had so many questions and wanted to ask Naruto so many things, but he decided that they could wait. It seemed more important to help him to understand his feelings. He remembered Kakashi-senpai from his Anbu days, where he first met the other shinobi and he suddenly felt a shudder. Senpai had been through a lot in his life. He looked at Naruto again who had also experienced great pain in his young life. He would be very happy to help his teammates find love.

“Yamato-taicho… Do you think that Gai-Sensei knows about this too? You said that you had a feeling...”

“Gai-san knows, I am sure. He may seem a little …. “ he smiled awkwardly and scratched his neck as he tried to find the right words to describe Gai. “Well. But he is actually very perceptive and caring. Especially when it comes to Kakashi. Did you know that Kakashi and Gai have been best friends since childhood?” 

Naruto felt a little bit more at ease now. “Gai-Sensei told me. We talk a lot when we are training. He is great.” Yamato agreed. Gai was a great person. “Indeed, he is.” 

“I just don’t know what to feel and I have no idea how Kakashi-Sensei feels about me.” He said timidly. “I miss him so much sometimes that I can barely stand it… I wish I’d know if he thinks of me at all.” 

“We knew how he felt when he picked us for this mission. We knew when Kakashi-senpai asked Gai-san to lead the mission. There’s no reason for you to doubt Kakashi-Senpai’s feelings for you. It was not easy for him in any way to let you go on this mission. But you know that sometimes our duties won’t allow us to do what our heart desires. You just have to find out what you feel for him.”

Suddenly the door was pushed open and crashed against the wall. “My youthful friends! We are back!” Gai entered the room and with his presence the whole atmosphere in the room changed instantly. “What is it with the gloomy faces my dear friends?! Our youthful spirit commands us to celebrate this joyous occasion!” The serious talk from a second ago was forgotten. Naruto laughed as he watched the scene. Gai stood there with his boisterous nature practically radiating off him. Yamato massaged his forehead. “What occasion? Gai-san what are you talking about?” Gai reached behind him and pulled Aoba into the cabin. “This youthful one wishes to apologize to you and Naruto. I think this is most courageous. Good teammates admit their faults. We are a team, and we have to work together to make this mission work. Aoba-san, you have something to say, I think?” He pushed Aoba into the room and glared at the younger shinobi. 

Aoba stood in front of Yamato and Naruto. He looked tense and his shoulders were tightly drawn close to this body. 

“Gai-san was kind enough to talk to me… Yamato-san, please excuse my assumptions, they were wrong. I feel honored that Kakashi-san picked me, and I will be more careful and take this more seriously. Please excuse my behavior Naruto-kun.” 

Yamato watched him with a stern expression. He would ask Gai later what they talked about. He looked at Aoba as he bowed deeply in respect. Gai patted Aoba's shoulder. The other man looked at Gai with an insecure face, but Gai only gave him a thumbs up and smiled. Aoba looked at Yamato and Naruto, who smiled encouragingly at him. He exhaled tiredly and dropped his shoulders. Naruto made some room at the table and scooted over to Yamato. Aoba sat down as well. “Thank you.” 

Gai went over to the kitchen nook and grabbed some cups. “Well, well! Let’s drink to this wonderful youthful moment of camaraderie and friendship!” He put the small Sake cups on the table. Naruto cheered. Yamato looked at Gai in absolute horror. “Gai-san!” he called scandalized. “Naruto isn’t 18 yet! He can’t drink!” 

Naruto pouted at Yamato's fussing. “Why? Ero-Sennin always let me drink with him.” 

“What?!” Yamato shrieked. “I can’t believe that Jiraiya-sama would do… - Scratch that. I will not let you drink Sake! Kakashi-Senpai would not approve… -“ 

Gai laughed and put the Sake bottle on the table. He poured some for Aoba, for himself, for Yamato and a little bit for Naruto. Yamato's face was getting red. This was not how he imagined this evening would go! “Yamato, you should calm down. Kakashi is not here. And I doubt that my Eternal Rival would mind if Naruto-kun had a little sip of this wonderful Sake! My friends! Let’s drink to  _ friends, may they be new ones or old ones, close or faraway _ !” 

Gai held the cup in his hand and waited for everyone to also take their cups. Yamato sighed. “That was actually very well said, Gai-san.” 

“Yes, Gai-Sensei!” Naruto cheered.

Aoba could only agree. 

Naruto nipped at the Sake and felt the alcohol burn down his throat. That was quite strong. He coughed. He had lied of course, when he said that Ero-Sennin let him drink. That was the first time he tasted Sake. He watched Kakashi drink Sake sometimes after dinner, and Tsunade drank that stuff like water. Ero-Sennin seemed to like Sake very much. He didn’t think that he would become a Sake drinker… That stuff BURNED! He watched the others around the table. It seemed that Gai and Aoba liked that stuff because they had already refilled their cups. Yamato put his cup down and started to scold them not to drink too much. Gai only laughed and pushed the Sake bottle into Aoba's hands. He laughed too and refilled his cup. He couldn’t remember ever seeing Aoba laugh that openly. He gasped as he saw them simply throw back the cups and start to laugh loudly. 

Yamato started to massage his head. “That means I have guard duty tonight... I can’t believe that you two are simply getting drunk here. Gai-san, what about your stomach? I am sure that you will be sea-sick tomorrow…” 

Naruto giggled at Yamato's fussing. “I guess you can’t help it, Yamato-Taicho.” 

“Tss. Just look at those two!” 

“Naruto-kuuun! You should join us over here! Yamato is no fun!” Gai was definitely a little bit drunk now.

“Excuse me?!” Yamato squealed and moved over to Gai to take the cup from him. They started a little squabble, which was just for fun. Naruto and Aoba watched them and laughed as Yamato used his wood-Jutsu to pin Gai down. “No Ninjutsuuuu! No fair Yamato!” Yamato grinned as he pulled back and sat back down across from Gai and watched the other man with an amused expression.

Naruto sipped at his cup and realized that his cup was empty. He didn’t know why Gai and Aoba behaved like that. He remembered Tsunade-baa-chans behavior when she drank Sake. He shivered. Well, maybe better not think about a drunken baa-chan. He just didn’t understand that… He didn’t feel any different. 

**That’s because of me, Kid.** He heard the deep, roaring voice of the Kyuubi. 

“AH!” Naruto jumped.

Yamato looked worried. “What's wrong?!” 

Naruto thought for a second. This wasn’t the first time that the Kyuubi talked to him. Maybe he should tell somebody? 

_ What do you mean with ‘that’s because of you’??  _

**It seems that your Chakra and mine are getting more and more intermingled… Which makes it practically impossible for you to get drunk… or sick as you have already realized?**

Naruto had realized that and had always wondered why he never had a cough or fever or anything like that. 

Yamato watched Naruto. He seemed to be far away in his thoughts. He gently touched Naruto's shoulder. “Naruto?” 

Naruto was suddenly pulled out of his thoughts and his conversation with the Kyuubi. He saw Yamato stare at him intensely. “Naruto, what’s wrong?” 

Naruto shook his head and smiled. From the other side of the table he heard the roaring laughter of Gai and Aoba. The two had decided to start singing old Konoha fighting songs. Naruto chuckled a little bit. Naruto thought for a second, that maybe it wouldn’t be to stupid to actually tell Yamato about the Kyuubi. Yamato always worries so much and since he was the only one that could actually control his sealing (a little bit), it might be the best thing to talk to him. Naruto was getting a serious headache about this. He didn’t know what to make of his conversations with the Kyuubi. He wasn’t hostile or anything of that sort, they were actually just… talking? “Yamato-taicho, could we go outside for a second? I need to tell you something.” 

Yamato nodded and they got up from the table and let the two drinking and singing shinobi have some more fun.

**

Naruto walked out of the cabin and up the stairs until they were back outside on the deck. Yamato followed him quickly. They sat down facing each other at the stern side of the deck. It was dark now and there was a cool night breeze blowing over the ship. The deep blue waters were quiet all around the ship. 

“A few weeks ago I realized that my sealing had changed.” 

Yamato was alerted immediately. “Your sealing? Is something wrong?” 

Naruto smiled and shook his head. “No, no, nothing is wrong. I am fine. I would have told Kakashi and baa-chan if something was seriously wrong, don’t worry. Well, but I realized that something changed in the way my sealing… felt?” 

Yamato looked at him from head to toe. He tried to concentrate on feeling and sensing a change in Naruto's Chakra. “Do you feel like the way your Chakra flows has changed?” He reached out his hand and touched Naruto's stomach where his sealing was located. “Try to concentrate on your Chakra flow.” Naruto didn’t flinch and tried to do as Yamato told him. “Hm. I understand what you mean, Naruto.”

“You do?” 

Yamato nodded and pulled his hand away. He sat more comfortably and put his hands on his knees. “It kinda feels like there is a leak – I don’t know how else to describe it. It felt like your Chakra and the Kyuubis Chakra are intermingling.” He looked at Naruto a little gravely. 

Naruto clenched his pants and looked at his fists. 

**What are you going to do, Kid? Are you going to tell him that we are talking?**

Naruto gritted his teeth.  _ I have to tell him.  _

**And if they lock you up?**

_ They won’t! They care for me. They would never lock me up or hurt me. _

**You have no idea how ugly humans can be.**

_ I know that you hate me, and all the other humans, because they locked you up inside me. But Yamato-Taicho, Kakashi, Gai-Sensei, Tsunade-baa-chan and everyone else are different.  _

**You don’t know how many times I have heard that. But there is one thing that you must realize… They might like you – they might even love you… But you are still the Jinchuriki, Kid. Wars are being waged because of that, people are dying because of that. Humans always wanted the Bijuu-power, they never cared about the lives of the Jinchuriki. You might think that your friends are different but you should think about why you had to leave the village so suddenly, and why they are sending you to a lonely island.**

“NO!” Naruto jumped up again and covered his ears. “That’s not true. Stop it!”

“Naruto!!?? What’s wrong?” 

There was something haunted in Naruto's eyes. “The Kyuubi is talking with me again.” 

“What?!” Yamato was too shocked to comprehend all that information at once. “What do you mean he talks to you? And what do you mean with again? When did that happen for the first time? How many times did he talk to you? What does he say to you?” 

He reached for Narutos shoulders and gripped him tightly. “Does Kakashi-senpai know about this?” But as he saw the panic and trouble in the young face, he realized that Naruto hasn’t told anyone about this. “You haven’t told anyone about this, have you? Oh Naruto… Why haven’t you told Senpai about this?” 

“I wanted to tell Kakashi but I was to scared of his reaction if I told him, ‘Oh hey, by the way, I think that I have a mayor crush on you and I also think that the demon that is sealed within me talks to me now… no biggie, right?’” Naruto was ruffling his hair. He still heard the Kyuubis dark grumble in the back of his mind, but he was able to mute it somehow. 

“I see.” Yamato felt a major migraine starting up and somehow, he wished for that Sake. “Well, I am glad that you told me.” 

Naruto looked at him with a face that hoped for answers and solutions. As if such a problem could be solved by a simple Jutsu. Yamato sighed. “What is he telling you? When did this start?” 

Naruto blushed. “When I realized that I had feelings for Kakashi-Sensei. I was stressing out and I was nervous and stuff. And then suddenly he started talking to me… He told me that I shouldn’t think too hard about it. Actually, the Kyuubi and I were just talking,… you know about Kakashi and our living arrangements.” 

Yamato thought that his life had been pretty normal for a shinobi. He grew up as a shinobi, he went on missions, he had a little apartment, and now in his early thirties he finally had a team that he liked. But suddenly there was war all around them and he had to protect the ex-student of his ex-anbu colleague, who was now his teammate. Yamato was under the weird impression that his life was normal until his ex-colleague wanted a relationship with his ex-student, who had the Kyuubi sealed inside him. Now he was confronted with talks from both sides about their significant other that would probably drive him mad.

_ Does he like me? _ _   
_ _ I like him, but I don’t want to talk about this.  _ _   
_ _ There is nothing to talk about. _ _   
_ _ I want to repress as many feelings as I possibly can. _ _   
_ _ I want to be with him.  _ _   
_ _ I miss him but I am angry with him.  _ _   
_ __ I don’t know what to feel, but all I can think about is him.

Yamato huffed. Things couldn’t possibly be stranger when he realized that now not only those two idiots, but even the Kyuubi, a demon, wanted to talk about this situation. He closed his eyes for a second. He touched his head and started to massage his scalp. “Naruto, it sounded like you two had a conflict just now? What was that about?” 

Naruto pouted and slightly turned his head away from Yamato. “We were arguing.” 

Yamato waited for further information, but it seemed like Naruto felt uncomfortable. He stood up and walked a few steps away from Yamato. He rested his hands on the railing and he suddenly had a far-off look as he watched the dark see. The waves hit the sides of the ship and the sounds of the ocean were softly drowning out all of Yamato's worried thoughts. He watched Naruto's posture. It was stiff and he held his shoulders closer to his head. He put his arms around himself to keep himself warm. He leaned forward only so slightly and closed his eyes. He smiled a little as the breeze from the sea blew through his hair. 

“The Kyuubi said that I shouldn’t tell you that I can talk to him, because you would lock me up if you knew.” Naruto turned around and smiled at Yamato who was still sitting at the same spot on the wooden floor on the deck. “The Kyuubi said that many people have already been killed because there were Jinchuriki. Simply because they had the Bijuu. People want the Bijuu-power and that they don’t really care about…- “ Naruto stopped speaking and smiled again. It was one of those tight and fake smiles. 

Yamato got up and stood in front of Naruto. “How can you say that? We are friends, are we not? And what about Kakashi-Senpai?! Do you really think that he doesn’t care about you? He would do anything for you! Don’t let the word of the Kyuubi confuse you. You have so many people who love you and who care about you.” He took the shocked blond into his arms. “You are right, wars have and are being waged about this power. But you should know, that no one in the village wants to lock you up – well, maybe except Sakura, if you ditch the mission reports to often, and maybe Tsunade-sama if break one of her Sake bottles again, or me if you and Kakashi-Senpai leave again before paying your bills at Ichiraku, but other than that, I think you should be fine.” Naruto hugged the other man and grinned. 

“Thank you, Yamato-Taicho.” 

***


	12. Gai-Sensei

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Confessions and kisses

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gai is awesome - just like kudos and comments :)

Days and nights were starting to blur together. It was getting late again and Gai, Yamato and Aoba sat on the deck to look at the map to discuss which route would be the best. 

“What do you think, how are things at home? Do you think that everybody is preparing for the war?” Yamato asked the other two sadly. They heard the door open and looked at Naruto tiredly stumble outside. Naruto made his way back to the cabin but when he saw them, he yelled “HEH! What are you guys doing? Are you talking about secret stuff?! Without me?! Dattebayoooo!” 

Yamato yelled alarmed. “NO! We are just looking at the maps and the routes!” 

Aoba tried to keep Gai’s mouth shut. They were worried that Gai would talk about the war. Tsunade was pretty clear about her wish, that Naruto shouldn’t be told anything about the war or the Shinobi-Alliance. It would be too dangerous for him. 

“Ahaaa?” Naruto didn’t quite believe that and watched them doubtfully. “Something funny is going on.”

Yamato took the maps. “Naruto, behave. Gai-san, please take care of the rest.” 

Gai stood up and patted Naruto on his back. “Well my youthful friend. You should all get some sleep. I am going to take my position as guard. You can count on me to stand watch!”

**

Kakashi was once again called to her office. Being called to Tsunade’s office these days was never a good thing. Especially for Kakashi. He grunted as he got the summon and lazily moved to the Hokage’s office. When he stood in front of the door he knocked and waited for the order to step inside. 

“Enter!” Tsunade called. 

Kakashi stepped inside and saw Tsunade buried under a huge pile of paperwork. She saw him and gestured to him to step closer. “I waited for you. I would appreciate it if, one day, you would at least try to be on time, I thought that maybe living with Naruto,…-“ 

“Naruto is not here right now.” He said angrily. 

“Tss. I know. Now, I called you because, as you know I had to nominate you as troop leader. It was the explicit wish of the other Kages. As I have told you before, there aren’t that many war veterans left, and you have the best credentials for this position. There is much to prepare.” 

Kakashi wasn’t by any means prepared for this nor did he want this ‘honor’. But he realized that of course Tsunade was right. He was the best choice. He cringed. He bowed his head dutifully. “Of course Tsunade-sama. But a single man cannot wage war. I would be very thankful if you would allow me to pick my right hand man?” 

Tsunade sat behind her desk, full of books and paperwork and waited for Kakashi to tell her who he would choose for such an important task. “Is there someone that you trust implicitly?” 

“That man is currently on a mission escorting Naruto.”

“That would be….” 

Tsunade couldn’t finish her sentence because just in that moment a little turtle crashed through the wall, hit the bookshelf, the lamp, another wall and finally after crashing in another shelf, Tsunade was able to stop it with one of her books. They were able to get the little turtle out of the book but when Kakashi looked at the little turtle he was worried. “That’s one of Gai’s Ninja Turtles, that he only uses in emergencies!” He took the little turtle in his hands and looked at the Hokage pleadingly. “Please! You must let me go! Gai wouldn’t send his SOS signal if nothing was wrong!”

Tsunade fidgeted in her seat. “Go! Make sure that they are alright.”

**

Naruto grunted as he watched his teammates walk to the cabin. Aoba kept the door open for him and waited for him to follow him inside. Naruto just shook his head and waved his hand at him. “Nah, I am gonna stay up for a little bit longer.” Aoba nodded and closed the door behind him. 

Naruto followed Gai to his position at the bow of the ship, where the man in green spandex took his seat. He sat next to Gai and let his feet dangle over the railing. Gai had taken a small lantern with him that he put next to them. It was dark and a thick fog made it almost impossible to see anything. Naruto tried to see the water but even that was obscured by the fog. 

“Haaa... that fog is getting thicker and thicker… I can’t see a thing. I wonder what everyone is up to in the village. I haven’t seen Kakashi-Sensei in quite a while. I miss him so much.” 

Gai turned to look at the blond and smiled at him. “Kakashi, huh? You know we are rivals?”

Naruto turned away from the railing and laid down on the floor next to Gai. He rested his head on his arm, while the other rested on his stomach. “Gai-Sensei. I think everyone in the village knows that. In fact, I think everyone in the five nations knows that.” 

“This is a good opportunity to tell you about our younger days!” Gai said in his usual excited manner.

Naruto grinned and turned on his back to watch the sky. The ship was moving slow because of thick fog and Naruto tried to see the stars. “I have so many questions about Kakashi-Sensei! Was he always this serious? When did he start reading Icha-Icha and why doesn’t he like sweet things?” The sky was dark and he thought about Kakashi. Was he in the village right now? Maybe in their apartment or was he on a mission? Naruto hoped that he was careful. 

Gai repositioned himself and sat down more comfortably. “Do you want me to tell you about Kakashi when we were Genin?” 

Naruto was feeling excitement wash over him. “Yes!” 

Gai laughed. “Well, our rivalry began right around the time when we first became Genin but we’ve known each other far longer than that. You see, Kakashi was always kinda serious and studious. Whenever we met his nose was buried in some book about tactics, history,… But the thing about being called elite at a very young age is always very complicated, you know?” 

Naruto had turned and looked at Gai. “Why? I thought that Kakashi-Sensei was some kind of Genius or something?” 

Gai nodded his head. “He is. But his father, the teachers and the village always had very high demands in Kakashi, from a very young age. He became Genin when he was 5, he was promoted to Chunin when he was 6. He was promoted to Jonin when he was 12. I think that it was difficult for Kakashi to actually make a connection to his teammates and his other comrades for a very long time because of this.” 

Naruto was quiet. It was also quite difficult for himself sometimes. He was 17 now, and he was still a Genin, when all his friends were either Chunin or Jonin… And now Gai-Sensei told him that Kakashi-Sensei finished the Academy in one year and one year after he finished the academy he was already promoted to Chunin? He really didn’t know what Kakashi-Sensei could probably see in him. Either as a shinobi or a man. He felt like a complete failure. 

Gai looked back at Naruto and saw the sullen face. “I didn’t mean to make you sad, my youthful friend!” He patted Naruto on the shoulder. 

“Maahh... but Gai-Sensei!! I am still a Genin! I don’t want Kakashi-Sensei to think that I am a failure!” 

Gai chuckled in amusement.  _ Seems like my Eternal Rival still evokes that feeling in people. _ “You should never give up! I am sure that you will be promoted to Chunin soon and that your promotion to Jonin will follow swiftly. You will see. This special S-ranked mission will also show everyone that you have grown and what a great shinobi you have become. You must not lose your youthful spirit!” 

Naruto felt motivated at once. “Thank you Gai-Sensei!” 

The fog wasn’t that thick anymore. Naruto looked up and finally he could see the sky and some stars. “Seems like we are moving out of the fog.” 

“It seems that way.” Gai said. 

“Will you continue? How did you become rivals? What kind of challenges did you do? 

Gai scratched his chin and thought about it for a second. “We had all kind of fights, shuriken, Kunai, combat, races,…” 

Naruto laughed out loud as he listened to Gais recounting serious matches. “What about the eating contest, and the holding your breath contest, the sushi contest or the –“ 

Gai tried to put his hands over Naruto's mouth who was still laughing hard. “Yes, yes, we had those two! I can’t believe he told you about that! Doesn’t he have any secrets from you anymore?” 

Naruto held his stomach as he wrestled Gai off him. “Why would he? We live together.” 

“Maaah!” Gai moaned exaggeratedly. “Nothing is holy anymore!” 

“Gai-Sensei, can I ask you something about Kakashi-Sensei?” he asked timidly. They took their seats next to each other at the railing again. Naruto's feet were dangling off the edge of the ship. He held onto the railing. He felt Gai move closer to him. The other sat down next to him. His feet also dangled down the ship's edge while he held onto the railing. 

“Sure. Whatever’s on your mind my young friend.” 

He blushed. He felt a little too shy to actually tell Gai-Sensei about the kiss, but he decided that he needed to ask Gai if there was anyone else that Kakashi liked. Or maybe there was somebody in the past? He needed to know those things! “You know, I was just thinking about Kakashi-Sensei. Because he was so kind to share rooms with me, but I thought that maybe he doesn’t like that, because I am sure that he would rather be with … someone? You know what I mean? Maybe there is someone? Or… has there ever been someone?” Naruto looked away and fiddled with his shirt as he tried not to turn into a tomato. His face was burning up. Of course Gai-Sensei would know what Naruto was implying and why he was asking. That was so embarrassing. 

“I don’t think that Kakashi is much bothered by this new living situation. In fact, I think it bothers him much more that his room mate is away at the moment.” Gai smiled lewdly. Of course, he knew what kind of inquiry this would be. “About the other question, I will be honest with you. Kakashi is older than you, Naruto… So, you understand that there have been other people in his life, right? I am sure you are aware of that.” Naruto nodded and tried to hide his blushing face behind his blond bangs. “When Kakashi left the Anbu Black Corps he changed – drastically. There hasn’t been anyone since then.” 

It was quiet around them. The only sound around them was the waves breaking against the ship's hull. Naruto bit his bottom lip. Of course, he had given that some thought as well. It was totally absurd to think that Kakashi had never been with anyone. But now that he knew it kinda hurt. Maybe because he had never been with anyone and he had never given his heart to anyone before. “I know that…” He grumbled. I didn’t think that this talk would take this direction. 

Gai watched with a mixture of amusement and surprise. Naruto's reaction was absolutely funny and adorable. 

**

Not too long ago Kakashi told Gai after one of their morning training sessions full of desperation and pain, that he felt like a complete failure. He realized that he started to have feelings for Minato-Sensei's son and that he needed to leave the team. “You don’t understand Gai, this is killing me. When he smiles at me I… I… This can’t be happening. He is Sensei’s son; I should be protecting him!” 

“My Eternal Rival! Those are joyous news! I never would have thought that I would ever get to hear you say the words that you like someone!” Gai wanted to hug Kakashi, but the silver-haired man only pushed him away and got ready to run away. 

“No. No! This is the most horrible situation. I must go to Tsunade immediately and ask to give me another team.” 

Gai grew angry. “But why? Only because he’s Minato's son? Forgive me my friend, but I don’t understand. This is nonsense.” 

“He is my Genin.” 

“He was your Genin. You are teammates.” 

Kakashi looked at him wearily and drew his eyebrows together. His Hitai-ate was still up from training. He rubbed his eyes. He wiped some sweat from his face. “He was my Genin. I was his Sensei!” 

Gai looked a little confused. “Those are facts, but you were Jonin when you were his age. And most of his fellow shinobi are Chunin or Jonin already. And it was you who told me that Tsunade wanted to make him Chunin after the Kazekage was rescued, but the Elders wouldn’t allow it. It seems to me like you are looking for some kind of excuse here. Have you told him about that anyway?” 

“No. I didn’t want to hurt him and I was too angry.” They fell quiet and Kakashi simply sat down on the earthy ground of the training ground. Gai sat down across from him. 

“You know, this is something that you have to deal with yourself. Because you know that it’s not bad that you have feelings for someone, and I won’t judge you because your heart decided on Naruto. You have to accept the fact that liking someone is ok, my friend. I know why you are scared of that… But Naruto, is not someone that’s going to leave so easily.” 

*

Gai chuckled as he now seemed to have a very similar conversation with Naruto. Naruto was worried about Kakashi's past partners and wanted to know more about Kakashi's past. He remembered days in his and Kakashi's youth when he saw his friend lazily walking through the streets. He was pale, thin and all life had left his eyes. Losing his family, his teammates and his Sensei had taken its toll on Kakashi. He remembered the way Kakashi sometimes watched them when they tried to get him to join them for some Dango or some tea. He looked lifeless and miserable. Anbu was a horrible time as well. He never saw his Rival and when they met he was worried that joining the Anbu was the worst possible position for his friend. He had begged the Hokage to let him join the Anbu as well so that he could at least keep an eye on Kakashi. 

But in the last couple of years he registered a drastic change in Kakashi. He was kinder, caring and he started to joke around again. He also stopped by to drink with his friends again. Gai, Kurenai and Yamato were overjoyed. And when they talked about their teams, he always saw joy in Kakashi's eye. Real joy – that he hadn’t seen in many years. Most of the time, Kakashi spoke about Naruto. But that was fine with Gai. Kurenai and Yamato always smiled kindly, because they thought it was cute how much Kakashi cared about Naruto without actually admitting to his feelings. 

When Kakashi and Gai were alone he told his friend many times that he feared his feelings for Naruto would overwhelm him and make him irrational. Since he was older than Naruto he thought that he had to watch his moves around the other extra carefully. Gai was his best friend and his confidant when it came to his feelings. He told Gai that he actually had never been in love even though he had sexual partners before, but for Kakashi sex and love was not the same. He felt like now was the first time in his life that he was able to feel love, because when he was younger he was always grieving for someone, his father, his teammates, his Sensei and Kushina-san. But now, he finally felt that his heart was free of the grieve. He would never forget his friends but maybe there was more to life than just grieving and waiting to meet them again? 

Gai hugged his friend and cried. He was so overjoyed at that moment. 

** 

“What I wanted to say with that, Naruto-kun, it may be that in a certain aspect he may have more experience than you, but in other aspects he is just trying to find his way like you do.” 

Naruto blushed and shyly looked at Gai. “And that way… could that lead him to me eventually?” 

Gai laughed heartily. “Yes, my young friend. I most certainly hope so. Otherwise all the long talks I shared with my Rival would have been for nothing.” 

Naruto squealed happily and hid his face in his hands. He was blushing hard. Kakashi talked to Gai-Sensei about him! He actually talked about him! He was so happy; he felt his heart start to race. He wanted to know what Kakashi said and what they talked about, and … he was so excited he wouldn’t be able to sleep at all tonight. But if he slept, he wanted to dream about Kakashi-Sensei. He turned his head to look at Gai. “Kakashi kissed me, before I left for this mission.” 

“OHHH! I didn’t think that my Rival would actually find the nerve to do such a bold thing! I am very happy about this development. Haha!” 

Naruto thought he might die from embarrassment. “We haven’t really talked about the kiss much. Because we had to leave for this mission… Kakashi only told me that I am very important to him and that he wants me to think about my feelings and that I should examine my heart. I also talked with Yamato about this… He said that I shouldn’t doubt Kakashi's feelings and that I should simply take my time to think about what I want and how I feel for Kakashi.” 

Gai nodded. He approved what Yamato told Naruto. “Of course, he is right. Have you thought about what Kakashi and Yamato told you?”

Naruto blushed and smiled. “Yes, I have. I miss Kakashi so much. I miss our apartment and the Ninken… I hope that he thinks of me too while I am gone, because I think about him every day. He is the most important person in my life and … in my heart, because… I am in love with him, and when I see him again, I will tell him what he means to me.” 

Gai reached out and gently gripped his shoulder. “That’s good.” 

Naruto let his legs swing carefree. He felt like a huge weight had just been lifted from his chest. He thought so much about Kakashi and his feelings for him, that he didn’t realize how much this was actually bothering him. Now that he told Gai-Sensei about his feelings he felt at ease. Not only because they were out but also because Gai simply accepted him and his feelings for Kakashi. He was so happy. 

The fog has finally lifted around them and Naruto could see a cost and some cliffs. The shipmen put the boat to a halt. Naruto listened to them walk under deck and to their cabins. It was getting real quiet on deck. Now that the ship didn’t move anymore and Gai’s and Naruto’s conversation had come to a halt, the only sound that surrounded them was that quiet chirping of some insects of the nearby cost. Naruto felt the tension that was with him for the last couple of weeks slowly leave his body. “I am glad I told you.” He said. 

Gai leaned forward and looked across the sea. He smirked. “Well, it seems that both of you need someone to talk about your feelings for each other. Funny enough – that seems to me.” 

Naruto yawned and rubbed his eyes. “I will head to bed now too. Thank you, Gai-Sensei, for helping me.” Naruto got up from his spot next to Gai and went back to the cabin.

**

Gai stayed on his post and made himself comfortable. He would still have another couple of hours of watch duty before him, before Aoba would come to take the next shift. He sighed and tried to relax a little bit. He didn’t mean to fall asleep but he was so tired after all the planning with Yamato and Aoba. Yamato was such a stiff guy and always wanted to control everything five times. Of course it was important, but wouldn’t it be alright if they only controlled the route and the plan two times? He yawned again. 

“Gai!” 

He thought he heard something. 

“Oy! Gai!!” 

Now he was sure. That voice. He jumped up and looked over the railing to the shore. He rubbed his eyes. “Kakashi?” He was still a bit sleepy. “My Eternal Rival! What a joy to see you my friend! What are you doing here and at such a late hour?” he stretched a little and got ready to jump over to where Kakashi was waiting for him. 

Kakashi lazily stood at the edge of the shore and looked imploringly at the ship and gazed at Gai who was jumping over. He landed a few feet away on a rock. “Gai… What do you mean ‘what am I doing here?’ You sent the SOS. What’s going on? Are you alright?” They looked at each other for a moment, before Gai started to laugh and scratch his neck. “What?” 

Kakashi almost stumbled and fell face down into the water. “Your turtle. Here. I got it with me. You only send that when something bad happens. When that flew into the Hokage office I thought the worst and immediately left the village. Is everyone alright? Where is Naruto?” 

Gai looked at the turtle and smiled sheepishly. “Oh. Well, that must have happened when I was sea-sick.” He admitted quietly. “I don’t think my stomach agrees with me being on the sea so much. Forgive me Kakashi.” 

Kakashi turned his eyes at that and shook his head. “Be more careful with that. I was really worried.”

Gai moved closer and took his little turtle again. “Naruto is alright. He is bored, but he is fine. We are taking the closest route next to the lightning country. We should be there by next week, if the wind is good.” 

Kakashi nodded. 

“He talks about you a lot, my friend.” 

Kakashi was quiet. 

“I just had a very nice talk with Naruto this evening.” 

“Did you?” 

“Indeed.” Gai put his hand on his hip and watched the stiff posture of his friend. Kakashi's entire form spoke about discomfort and tension. “I should be going. I see that everything is alright and Tsunade-sama needs me back at the village. She wishes me to command the troops in the upcoming war… “ 

Gai registered that the quick change of subject was Kakashi's try to evade the topic but Gai wouldn’t let him go that easy. It made him slightly uneasy to know that Kakshi would be called to the frontlines of another war. “I see. You are very capable. But I can’t help but worry for you my friend.” 

“Thank you, Gai. There is something that I need to ask you, regarding this war. I want to ask you to be my right hand man. You would be leading the troops with me, or in case that I fall, you would take over.” 

“My Eternal Rival! Please never speak such horrible words again!” Gai wildly leaped at Kakashi to hug him. “Especially not now that the youthful joy of love has finally found you!” 

Kakashi tried to push Gai away from him (without much luck). “Gai, stop this. I don’t intend to die, and I hope with you next to me on the battlefield, that my chances of surviving this war will rise.” 

“Kakashiiii!” 

“Gai stop this, you are sobbing all over my shoulder! That is disgusting!” They were starting to argue and squabble around – with Kakashi trying to get Gai off him. But he didn’t take in account that Yamato had such a light sleep because suddenly the door of the cabin opened, and Yamato came out. 

“Gai-san? What’s all that noise?” Yamato looked around “Senpai!” Yamato exclaimed (maybe with a little too much joy). He too jumped down from the ship and raced towards Kakashi. Kakashi sighed as he realized Yamato's excitement. 

“Senpai what are you doing here? Is everything alright in the village? Are you ok? We are taking good care of Naruto, aren’t we Gai-san, we promise!” 

Kakashi, who was still being crushed by Gais' hug and slobbered all over by his snot and tears felt a little overwhelmed by Yamato's need of approval. “Gai. Stop this right now.” He was finally able to break free and looked at Gai and Yamato. “I am relieved to hear that Naruto is safe. I guess I should leave now.” 

Gai and Yamato reached for Kakashi and started talking at the same time.    
“Kakashi-Senpai! Wait!”    
“My Rival, are you sure that you can’t stay a moment!?” They took hold of his arm and intently looked at him. Yamato fixed him with a gaze. “We think you should stay for a moment, right Gai-san?” 

“Yes. My Rival. I am sure that the Hokage can spare you for a short moment.” 

Kakashi looked at his arm that was now in a tight grip. He sighed and admitted defeat. “What is it? You know I can’t stay.” Gai and Yamato let go of Kakashi's arm. 

Now that Kakashi finally was here he would use the opportunity to help those two idiots, Yamato decided. “Yes, we know and of course we understand your obligations. But wouldn’t you like to see Naruto?” 

Kakashi started squirming and he was seemingly getting restless where he stood. He looked down to his feet. “He’s got you two to look after him. He doesn’t need me.” 

Yamato felt that headache again. He wanted to punch his Senpai. Was he being difficult on purpose now? “That is not what I mean.” He gritted his teeth. “Gai-san, help me!” 

“My friend. I am sure that Naruto would be so happy to see you. Why don’t you go and talk to him for just a second, he had some time to mull things over, as you say. I am sure that you will be very surprised with what he has to tell you.” 

Kakashi and Yamato looked at him. It seemed that Gai-san knew something?  _ Did Naruto tell him something that he didn’t tell me? Why would he tell Gai-san more than me? We are so much closer.  _ Yamato thought as he jealously pouted at Gai. He quickly composed himself and looked at Kakashi again, who watched Gai and it seemed like a hundred things were currently going on in his head. He was calculating all options and every possible outcome of this situation. Kakashi clenched his fists. With his mask and his Hitai-ate tightly in place Yamato couldn’t say if there was any discomfort on his face. Gai pinched Yamato in his arm and gestured to him to move back to the ship. They jumped back on to the railing and slowly walked back onto the deck.

“We should stay with him. He will leave. That won’t work, Gai-san!” He heatedly whispered. 

“Kakashi needs time to process this. He is calculating. He will talk to him. We need to give them space. We should get Aoba out of the cabin though…” 

“I will get him.” Yamato hurried back inside and woke up Aoba, who grumbled but silently followed Yamato back outside. When they came outside, he saw Kakashi standing on the railing. Aoba wanted to say something, but Yamato pulled him away from the deck and they hurried to the bow end of the deck. He heard Gai whisper something to Kakashi before they were out of earshot. Just a few seconds later he registered Gai-san following them. 

**

“Why do we have to sit here? And why is Kakashi-san? What is going on?!” Aoba was getting restless. Gai-san and Yamato who seemed to have absolutely no problem with this weird situation laid down side by side on deck and looked very relaxed. “Relax Aoba. There is no problem. We just have to wait.” Yamato quietly said.

“Wait for what?!” 

“For the springtime of love to finally blossom. That might take some time. So lay down, and enjoy the fresh air and the peace.” 

“Gai-san, I have no idea what you are talking about …” 

**

Kakashi stood in front of the door to the cabins and he thought about what Gai had just told him. Naruto thought about what he told him, and he would like what Naruto had to tell him? He felt nervous. What would Naruto tell him? His palms were getting sweaty. He reached for the door and slowly opened it. The stairs and the rooms were pitch black and he could barely see anything, but he walked inside and took one stair at the time. Gai told him that Naruto would be sleeping in the last cabin on the right. He reached the cabin door and touched the door. He hadn’t seen Naruto in weeks and he missed him so much. Now, they were only separated by this door. He reached for the handle and pushed the door open.

The room was slightly illuminated by the light that fell through the little window of the cabin. He moved closer to the bed in which he saw blond hair. Naruto slightly snored as he cuddled his pillow closely to his chest. He was mumbling like he always did when he slept. Kakashi smiled and stepped closer. He was standing next to Naruto's bed and gently reached out to touch the blond hair. He took one of the strands between his fingers and softly caressed it. 

He watched him sleep so peacefully. He couldn’t wake him up. It had to be enough that he was allowed to watch him like this. His heart clenched painfully. He really wanted to know what Naruto wanted to tell him. The memory of that kiss haunted him and he could still feel Naruto’s warm body in his bed and the way he held him in his arms. The way Naruto's lips felt pressed against his own was haunting him. While Naruto was gone there wasn’t anything else that he was thinking about. He sat down next to the sleeping blond and silently contemplated his choices. He pulled down his mask. He could stay here for a little longer, watch Naruto and then just leave, or he could wake him up and maybe … He felt a little panic rise inside him. Suddenly Naruto started to move and grumble beside him. The blond slapped his hand against his back and it seemed like that woke the blond. He groaned and turned his head. “Yamato-Taicho, I told you I – Ka-Kakashi.” 

They stared at each other and neither said anything for a few moments until Naruto turned around to fully face him. “Kakashi. What are you doing here?” 

“Gai sent a wrong distress call and I thought something might have happened to you… So, I came.” Kakashi explained. 

Naruto realized that Kakashi had taken off his mask and that he smiled a little at him. “I thought that it was impossible for you to leave the village, because you had important duties? – that’s what baa-chan told me when I asked her why you couldn’t come on this mission.” 

“I told her that she had to let me go.” Naruto blushed. It was getting quite around them again. 

Kakashi was seated on the edge of Naruto's small bed and his upper body was turned to him. His hands were on his lap and Naruto watched as one of Kakashi's hands was slowly reaching for one of his. ”I had to make sure that you were alright.” Kakashi's hand gently grabbed Narutos. He caressed the smaller fingers. 

“Now I am alright.” Naruto whispered as he squeezed Kakashi's hand. “I missed you so much Kakashi.” With his other hand he maneuvered himself out of his entangled sheets and moved himself into a sitting position. He was now closer to Kakashi and they could look at each other. 

He realized that he lost the suffix. He wasn’t Sensei anymore. That was a change. He looked at their entwined hands. Naruto squeezed it again which made him look up again. His gaze was nervous and hopeful.  _ He feels just as nervous as I do.  _ Kakashi thought. “I missed you too, Naruto.” 

Naruto smiled. He had to be brave. He scooted closer to Kakashi and after pulling his hand out of Kakashi's grip he simply wrapped his arms around Kakashi's neck. He closed his eyes and pressed his body against Kakashi's torso. He felt Kakashi tense, but he wrapped his arms around Naruto as well. He felt Kakashi's arms around his waist, pulling him closer. He smelled Kakashi's scent as he pressed his face into Kakashi's neck and he closed his eyes as he felt Kakashi's arms gently moving over his back in soothing manners. “I thought so much about what you said to me, before I left.” Naruto gently whispered into Kakashi’s ear.

Kakashi gently pressed his face into the blond hair. His eyes were closed – he was surrounded by Naruto's scent and his mind could finally relax a little, now that Naruto was in his arms again. When Naruto spoke, he opened his eyes and blinked a few times. “You did?” His hands stopped moving and he realized that he almost stopped breathing too. 

Naruto's hands were moving across the strong back and into the soft silver hair. He massaged Kakashi's neck and gently let his hand slide through the silver strands. Kakashi's hair was so soft. He loved touching it. He pushed himself away a little bit so that he could look into Kakashi's face.

“I realized that I really enjoy living with you and that I miss our apartment. It drives me nuts when you wake me up in the morning with all your crazy stunts but I kinda like them too, I think they are funny. I absolutely love it when you cook dinner for me, because I can’t do anything without you in the kitchen, and I really think that I am a danger to our kitchen. I hope that you don’t hate living with me, because I know that I’m a slob, and I need to clean up more. And I will! I promise! I miss the Ninken. I miss you. I miss you sometimes so much that I can barely stand it. I dream about you all the time. – You said that I should think about what I want and what I feel and what is in my heart… I know now that I am glad that you gave me so much time to think about my feelings. Because I know now that all my feelings and all my heart, is just for you. I love you Kakashi.”

Kakashi bit his bottom lip. He pulled Naruto closer, almost crushed him against his chest. “I don’t care that you are a danger to our kitchen and that you are a slob. I missed you too. So much. I hate it when you are away from me. I love you too. You are everything to me, Naruto.” 

Naruto smiled and sniffed. He pulled away from the crushing embrace and looked at Kakashi. Kakashi gently touched his cheeks, his ears and softly moved his hand over Naruto's forehead to brush some of his blond hair out of his face. They were quiet and completely engulfed in this moment. Kakashi had to leave again soon and all they had were a few stolen moments. Kakashi leaned forward. Naruto smiled and automatically reached for Kakashi's Hitai-ate. He removed the headband from Kakashi's face and laid it down next to him. Naruto looked at Kakashi with half lidded eyes. He hoped that maybe Kakashi would know, maybe Kakashi would understand.    
He wanted Kakashi to kiss him, like that night, just one kiss. 

Kakashi leaned forward and he felt Naruto's forehead press against his own. He was so close to Naruto. Their faces just centimeters away from each other. Their breaths were intermingling. 

He felt Kakashi's hand on his cheek gently caressing his skin there. He must be feeling how his skin burned there because he was blushing so hard. 

“I thought about that kiss. How your lips felt. How you slept in my bed.” Kakashi's gaze was heated and he felt like he would melt any second now. “Did you think about that too?”

Naruto nodded shyly and looked at Kakashi through his thick lashes. “I… did. All the time.” 

Kakashi raised Naruto's chin a little bit with his fingers. “I wanted you for so long.” 

Naruto couldn’t help it when a slight whimper escaped him. Kakashi pressed his lips to Narutos and they both moaned in satisfaction. But the gentle sweet touching of lips soon transformed into a desperate hot kiss. Kakashi gently sucked on Narutos bottom lip which made the younger one keen and moan and he tightly held onto Kakashi's Jonin vest. Naruto felt his heart race as Kakashi gently probed his lips open with his tongue. Kakashi's hands moved over his back towards his bottom. As Naruto pressed himself more into Kakashi's body, the kiss grew more desperate. Kakashi's tongue sensually slided against his own. He moaned loudly as Kakashi started sucking on his tongue. That felt so good. He pulled on Kakashi's hair and tried to move his tongue like that as well, but he felt like his whole body was suddenly made of rubber and he could barely organize a straight thought. 

Kakashi panted when he pulled away slightly. He kissed Naruto again – only a short nip at the beautiful kiss-swollen lips. 

Naruto looked at Kakashi with glazed eyes. That kiss was very intense. Totally different from their first kiss. He wondered if that already made him feel totally boneless, how would  _ everything else _ feel? When he touched himself, he always thought about Kakashi, but how would the real deal feel, if kissing Kakashi like that made him practically lose his mind? Naruto could only imagine. Kakashi pressed another short and sweet kiss against his lips. Naruto moaned in delight at feeling Kakashi so close to him. 

Kakashi pulled away a little bit more. He tucked a few stands behind his ears. “I have to leave soon. But I want to talk to you. It seems that we only get to kiss before either of us has to leave… But you know this is only temporary. We will see each other again soon.” He kissed Naruto's lips again. “ _ Very soon _ , I hope.” He murmured against Naruto’s soft lips.

Naruto reached for Kakashi's hands “I know.” He chuckled when Kakashi put special emphasis on ‘very soon’. “I hope so too.” 

“Kakashi? There is just something that I wanted to ask you, before you have to go.” He was serious about this – he wanted to be with Kakashi – he needed to know if Kakashi wanted that too. If there was a future for this when they were finally back together in the village. “When I get back to the village, will we still be in the apartment together?” 

“If you like that?” 

Naruto smiled at him. “Yes, I like our apartment, well, I guess it could be a little bit bigger, with a garden,… but I love our apartment.” 

Kakashi chuckled. “Me too. I like our apartment. So I guess that’s settled?” 

Naruto wasn’t completely happy yet. “What about us? What…are we?” he asked timidly. They were still so close to each other and he could feel how Kakashi tried to catch his breath. 

“We? I … Well.” Kakashi hadn’t thought that far. He closed his eyes.

Naruto realized immediately what was happening. Kakashi was getting his head into a knot. 

“If you start getting all guilty over me and my dad and all that deep shit, I’m going to hit you over your stupid genius head. I only wanted to know if we have a relationship now. Boyfriend? Partner? I’m gonna say boyfriend. Are you ok with that?” 

Kakashi laughed and hugged Naruto. “Yes, that’s fine. Since I have never been anyone's boyfriend before I guess we can try that.”

Naruto blushed happily. That was what Gai-Sensei was referring to. He cuddled into Kakashi's embrace. Good. So, he was at least Kakashi's first relationship. He smiled. “I love you, Kakashi.” 

Kakashi's hands were warm and big when they caressed his hair. “I love you too, Naruto” They sat close to each other like that for several more minutes until Kakashi had to get up. He had to get back to the village. It was a wonder that Tsunade let him go in the first place. 

He got up and pulled his mask back up. “Let’s go outside. I should probably tell the guys that I am leaving. I think that Yamato had to drag Aoba from his bed to give us some privacy. Are you ok with them? Is everything alright? No troubles?” Kakashi implored. 

Naruto laughed. “Yes, don’t worry. We had our little troubles here and there, but everything runs pretty smoothly now, we are like a family! Yamato is the overprotective mom, Gai-Sensei is the cool uncle, and Aoba… I guess… well he is the cousin that wishes he wasn’t related to any of us.” 

Kakashi walked up the stairs to open the door and when he stepped outside he stopped and turned back around to look at Naruto. “The overprotective mom?” 

“Yes. You wouldn’t believe how tense Yamato-Taicho can be. He is always so worried that something or someone might hurt or kill me. It’s crazy. Gai-Sensei even let me drink Sake. They had a fight over that. It was hilarious.” 

“He did what?” 

“Oh.” Naruto stopped when he watched Kakashi’s comically enraged face. 

“GAI!” 

***


	13. the island

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto and the gang arrive at the island.  
> Poor Gai-Sensei is sick, Aoba takes care of him.  
> At the waterfall Naruto has to fight his dark side.
> 
> *sexy times*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am writing a small love story for Gai as well… I love Gai-Sensei and I want him to be happy too.

The ship was moving through thick fog that was covering the entire island. Yamato was sure that they would soon reach the shore. Naruto was also getting restless. Yamato wasn’t sure if that was because of the proximity of the island and the impending search for ‘The Octopus’ or because of Kakashi-Senpai's visit. Of course, Naruto had told them all about what happened that night of Senpai's surprise visit, and for days it seemed like Naruto was in a state of bliss. Sometimes Yamato saw him lying around on deck staring into the clouds.  _ That’s exactly what a lovesick fool looks like. _ He fondly thought and giggled as he watched Naruto.

Naruto stood at the railing and started to yell “Octopus! Octopus!” Yamato huffed. “Naruto? What are you doing?” Naruto may be in a relationship with Senpai now, but he was still the same old Naruto who was obsessed with Ramen and screamed excited at the sea hoping that an Octopus would show. Yamato scratched his head and walked closer to the blond. 

Naruto turned around and looked at Yamato with shining eyes. “I am calling the Octopus! The old Sage told me that I would meet him on the Island!” 

“Suuure…” Yamato was confused. Maybe the Octopus was just meant as a metaphor? While Yamato was thinking what that could possibly mean, Naruto was back calling for the Octopus. Yamato was just glad that Naruto was busy with figuring out what the prophecy means, because that would mean that his attention was drawn away from Madara, the Akatsuki and the war. The ship was moving closer to the island and everybody was moving onto the deck to see how beautiful the island would look like. Naruto was getting restless when the fog finally started to clear, and the vague shadows of an island was starting to get visible in the distance. The crew came out from the cabin and told them that they would arrive soon and that they should get ready to leave the ship.

“There! I can see the island!” Naruto’s body practically hung over the railing as he was trying to catch a first glimpse. But when he saw the sharp coast, the scary cliffs and the dark massifs he started to question the old Sages word… “Eh? Paradise?” Naruto’s brow twitched. “This is a resort? That looks rather scary…” 

One of the shinobi who escorted them from lightning country to the island chuckled. “It looks like the Forest of Death in Konoha, ne? This island is even more dangerous. But you shouldn’t worry. The animals that live on this island are quite nice. All, but one.” 

Naruto was getting angry, what was that supposed to mean? He thought that he would at least have a beautiful sunny beach if he could not have Kakashi here with him... He was still a little disappointed that Kakashi wasn’t able to be here. 

Suddenly the boat started shaking and the waves were crashing against the side of the boat. The last thing that Naruto heard the lightning-shinobi say, was “It lives here by the coast.”. Naruto jumped when suddenly there were tentacles all around the boat. Of course, he thought that was the Octopus that his prophecy was speaking of.

Yamato was alarmed when he saw the huge Squid and immediately jumped in front of Naruto. When the blond started counting the tentacles, Yamato thought he would have a nervous breakdown. “Naruto! Stop counting! Come here!” 

“But shouldn’t we make sure that this isn’t the Octopus that will guide me? A Squid has ten tentacles and an Octopus has eight…” While Naruto was telling Yamato all this nonsense, one of the tentacles grabbed Naruto right in front of Yamato's eyes. 

“Ah! Naruto!” The Ex-Anbu screamed and sprinted after the younger man.  _ Senpai would kill me if he knew that a huge squid ate his boyfriend!  _ He was ready to use his Jutsu when a strong wave hit their ship again and he stumbled. A huge creature appeared next to the ship and an Octopus (for real this time) punched the squid’s heavy head. It crashed back into the sea and the tentacle that held Naruto in a tight grip let go of him and Naruto landed safely on the deck. The Octopus transformed into a man who also jumped onto the ship and landed in front of the small crew. 

“Octopus-man! Thank you! Dattebayo!” 

“Dattebayo?” The man took out a small notebook and wrote something down without further comments. Naruto and Yamato shared a similar confused look but decided not to say anything. Even when the man started to rap (in a very weird way) they decided to stay quiet. 

The ship drew closer to the coast when Aoba finally walked out of the cabin. He had to support Gai, who was still so sea-sick that he could barely walk on his own. His face was pale and a little green. “Are we there yet?” Gai held onto the wall and felt sweat pouring from his forehead.  _ Kakashi… My Eternal Rival, I am doing this for you and the youthful spring of love that has caught your heart. But I am begging you, if you ever ask anything of me again, don’t let it be on water…  _ His other hand was tightly holding onto Aoba for support. “Don’t worry, we will have hard ground under our feet soon. You can relax now, Gai-san.” Gai’s arm tightly gripped the fabric of Aobas green vest and the other shinobi looked at him sympathetically. “Hold onto me Gai-san.” Aoba was holding Gai close to him and tried to keep him steady as they walked closer to Naruto and Yamato.

They turned around when they heard the cabin door open. Naruto was happy to see Gai and immediately greeted him. He knew that being on this ship and being on sea so much wasn’t easy for him. The poor man was seasick most of the time. “Gai-Sensei! How are you feeling? 

Aoba greeted everyone and nodded in Gai’s direction. “He just couldn’t stop being seasick the entire journey.”

“It was a very long journey.” Yamato said.

Gai grunted and tried to stand steady on his feet. Being sick for days was no fun. He didn’t feel his youthful spirit right now. He was stumbling a little, but he felt Aobas arms safely around his waist and decided to only grumble a short answer. “Yes. It was long and hard.” 

**

Gai was very glad when he finally felt earth and sand beneath his feet again. They were walking through a thick forest led by Motoi. Who told them that he would be their guide on this Island during their stay. Yamato and Naruto were walking with Killer Bee and Motoi, who was explaining the barrier of this island to them. Gai was trying to listen but he was still feeling sick and a little dizzy. 

“Are you feeling alright Gai-san?” Aoba was lightly touching his back. 

“Urg… I don’t know. I am glad that we are back on land, but I still feel sick.” 

“Don’t worry Gai-san, I am sure that you can lay down for a bit when we arrive.” Aoba smiled sympathetically at him. 

They walked at least one more hour until they finally arrived at the ‘Hachibi-House’. The Konoha shinobi had a whole floor to themselves and Motoi made sure to tell them, where to find everything. The Konoha shinobi, who were part of the crew, went to their separate rooms. Yamato, Naruto, Gai and Aoba decided to take rooms close to each other. While Yamato took the room right next to Naruto, Gai and Aoba took the rooms right on the opposite side of the hall. 

“I will take a nap. Naruto, you should rest as well.” Yamato said and went to his room. 

Aoba went to Gai’s side and helped the other man, whose face was still slightly green, to his room. “I will help Gai-san, and then I will also take a nap. Come on Gai-san. You should really rest…” After some grumbling and huffing, Aoba dragged the sick Jonin across the hall to his room. 

Naruto watched them with sympathy and amusement. He could still hear Gai’s complaining and moaning from where he stood. He chuckled and decided to go to his room as well. 

*

He closed the door and let his body fall onto the soft mattress.  _ Well, that was a change _ . For days they shared a small cabin and the beds there were horrible and hard! He stared up to the white ceiling and started to think about the journey, the village, this weird Rapper-Dude ( _ What was his deal? _ ), the Kyuubi ( _ He had been quiet for the past few days _ …), Yamato, Gai-Sensei, Aoba and… Kakashi… He sighed dreamily.

Nothing was like it was before after Kakashi’s visit. He closed his eyes and started to dream for a second. Was Kakashi thinking about him too? Naruto thought about how Kakashi held him that night. And the way Kakashi kissed him... He blushed. His fingers gently reached out and touched his lips. He could still feel his lips there. He felt completely lovesick. He still couldn’t believe that Kakashi actually loved him too and that they were in a relationship now. Well, they would be in a relationship when Naruto got back from this super important mission. He closed his eyes and squealed and giggled. “Hehe. Kakashi…” The name rolled off his lips and he felt heat on his cheeks. He rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling. Was Kakashi back in the village? He was probably on some kinda important assignment for Tsunade-baa-chan. He only told Naruto that Tsunade needed him for something. Come to think about it, Kakashi was very vague about everything. Naruto huffed and turned his head away. He brushed his cheek against the pillow. He really wished that Kakashi had told him anything at all. 

He missed Kakashi. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. After Kakashi's visit he felt like his whole body changed. The way that Kakashi kissed him awakened a sensual and sexual side in Naruto that he wasn’t aware of before. Of course he had touched himself, like any other teenager would, but when Kakashi held him in his arms and when he kissed him it made him  _ feel _ things and  _ want _ things that he never thought about before. 

The way Kakashi’s lips felt against his and the way the older man sucked on his bottom lip made his dick twitch and made his body tremble. He groaned and arched his back. He hastily pushed his pants and his underwear down and pulled his shirt up. His dick was hard. His heart was racing, and his body felt hot all over. Naruto moaned. “Kakashi…” He reached for his dick and started to stroke himself. He closed his eyes and imagined Kakashi’s hands on his heated skin. His hand was moving fast over his swollen dick. Naruto felt how his breath was going faster. “Ka-mhhhh, Kakashi.” He was thinking about the soft silver hair that was gliding through his fingers. Kakashi’s smile. Kakashi’s lips. Kakashi’s lips – pressed against his while he was passionately kissing him. Naruto’s hand was moving faster. He pushed his hips into his hand and tried to get more friction. Kakashi had way more experience than him… what would he do to Naruto when they were finally together again? His hand was stroking his dick faster, moving up and down, gliding through the motions. He could feel the precome wetting his fingers. “Ahh.” Would Kakashi want him to do this to him as well? He groaned and sweat was starting to glisten all over his body. His head hit the pillow and his eyes rolled into the back of his head. Just thinking about touching Kakashi’s body in such a way made him almost cum. He panted and bit his lip as he feverishly moved his hips into his hands. He wanted to cum. Just a little bit more. He was chanting Kakashi’s name in a heated whisper. Eagerly he thrusted his swollen cock into his hand. His body was trembling as the memories of Kakashi’s touches and kisses intoxicated his mind. “Kakashi, Kakashi! Nnnh!” He felt cum splatter all over his hand and his stomach. Naruto felt completely boneless when he opened his eyes again. He just laid there for a second in his bed and stared at the white ceiling. He felt his dick going soft again. The cool air in the room made him shiver and he decided to get up and quickly take a shower. 

He got up and went to the adjoining bathroom to quickly clean up. He felt fresh and clean again after such a long time on the ship and being bunked up with the other guys, the shower was really wonderful. Now what to do? Naruto looked at himself in the mirror. He wasn’t tired and he didn’t want to sleep. But Yamato and the others were tired and needed some rest. Yamato would freak out if he decided to take a tour around the island by himself… 

Kakashi also told him, before he left the ship, that he wanted him to be careful and take care of this mission. He wanted him to be focused on this. He would be Dattebayo! He would show him that he would be able to do this. He sat on his bed and decided that while everyone was resting, that he would go and find that Octopus-man. Maybe that would be a good start to figure out what that prophecy means?

He went to the second floor and knocked on the door where Killer Bee was resting. He wanted to talk to him. “Hey!” 

The door opened and Bee stepped outside. “Hey Gaki! What is it? Do you want an autograph?” 

Naruto looked at him determined and with a serious expression. “I am the Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi. Please, train with me. I can’t control the Kyuubi yet and I need help. Please show me how to control the Bijuu.”

They stared at each other and with a finality that cut deep into Naruto the older man said “No. I only came here because my brother, the Raikage, ordered me to. I didn’t come here to train kids. I am here to take a break.” 

Naruto groaned and bit his lips. For a second, he felt hurt and pushed away, just like when he was a child, and nobody wanted him. “What is that supposed to mean? We are both Jinchuriki! Why won’t you help me?”

It seemed like Bee wasn’t that easy. They were having an argument and after Bee shut the door in his face he decided to leave and look for Motoi. He needed to know how Bee was able to control the Hachibi. Motoi was much more help. He told him that he would show Naruto to the place where Bee had trained. Naruto felt elated and happy when he finally felt that he somehow got closer to finding a way to control the Kyuubi. When Motoi and Naruto wanted to leave, Yamato coughed from behind a pillar. “I will come with you, Naruto.” He addressed Motoi “I am Yamato, I am Naruto’s Guardian.”

“Yamato-taicho!” Naruto was surprised to see the man suddenly appear behind the wall. Motoi nodded and greeted the other Jonin politely. 

*

Aoba was still with Gai when Yamato, Naruto and Motoi left the ‘Hachibi-House’. He went to get some water for the other Jonin and put the glass on the side table next to Gai’s bed. The Jonin laid on the bed, on his stomach and had his eyelids pressed closed. 

“I got some water for you.” 

“Thank you, Aoba.” 

“How are you feeling? Any better?” 

“Yes, I don’t feel so sick anymore, but I still feel like I am drifting on the sea,…” Gai pressed his cheek into the pillow and groaned. His eyes were closed and he felt himself drifting off to sleep.

“I am glad that you are feeling better, Gai-san. I will stay here, just in case you need me.” 

Aoba sat down in a chair next to Gai’s bed and closed his eyes as well – maybe he could sleep for a moment as well.

*

In the meantime, Naruto, Yamato and Motoi made it to the place where Bee had trained, which actually was just a waterfall. Naruto was a little confused. “This is the place where he trained?” 

“This is the waterfall of truth.” 

Yamato looked around. “Truth? And this was the place where he learned to control the Biju?” 

Motoi shook his head. “No, this is just the preparation. Naruto, you need to sit here.” He pointed to a small grass covered place in the middle of the pond. “Close your eyes. Then you will see your true self.” 

“My true self?” Naruto felt nervous for a moment but without hesitating he jumped over the water and sat down. He closed his eyes and concentrated. 

“What will happen now?” Yamato looked at Motoi. The other man shrugged. “We need to wait for Naruto to find his true self. That can take some time.” They sat down at the edge of the water and watched the young shinobi. “The waterfall becomes a mirror and it will show you your true self. That can be freeing or very hurtful. Naruto needs to find out what he sees by himself.” 

Yamato watched his young friend with curiosity and a little worry. 

“Naruto is fighting against his dark side right now.” Motoi explained.

*

Naruto was in deep meditation when he finally felt a change in his mind. There was a presence and a voice

_ “Why didn’t you give those two Chunin your autograph? That time at Ichiraku…”  _

“What?” Naruto opened his eyes and watched the waterfall part. Suddenly a figure emerged. 

_ “They were so friendly with you… So different then it was before. They are all so different then when you were a child, ne? Don’t you remember the beatings and the loneliness?” _

Naruto couldn’t believe what he saw. The blond hair and the orange jacket were wet from the waterfall. His face was distorted in an angry snarl and the way he was grinning at Naruto made him feel sick. His eyes were shining red. Angry and full of pain.  _ “They were disgusting. Don’t you think?” _

They were staring at each other and Naruto couldn’t find the courage to say anything. He was looking at himself. Was that what Motoi was talking about?

_ “The people of the village were always treating us like dirt. They never cared about us.” _

Naruto remembered the weird feeling when the two Chunin had asked for his autograph. It was true, that he was confused and that he didn’t know what to do, but he didn’t hate them. It had always been his deepest wish that the people of Konoha recognized him and accepted him the way that he was. To be treated as a hero was beyond anything that he had ever dreamed of. 

“Who… who are you? You are not a shadow clone… are you?” 

_ “No. I am your true self. I am what you have hidden deep within your heart.”  _

“In my heart? What the hell are you talking about?!” 

_ “You cannot get rid of me. I am you. I am the dark part of your heart.” _

“The dark part of my heart?” Naruto felt scared. “I always wanted the people of the village to accept me. That was my dream!” 

_ “Indeed… It was always our dream. But can you just forget the times when people didn’t want to sell you food because you are the Jinchuriki, or when they beat you half to death?“ His red eyes were dangerously glowing at him. “Do you really think… that anyone has forgotten what the Kyuubi did 17 years ago? Do you really think that Kakashi has forgotten?”  _

“No… But I am not responsible for what happened 17 years ago! Kakashi knows that. He loves me!”

“ _ Are you sure about that?”  _

“He said so. He loves me.” Naruto repeated the words like a mantra and grabbed his head. “Stop it. Please.”

_ “How can you believe that he could possibly love a Jinchuriki? You are just a boy. The Kyuubi, the monster that has killed his Sensei and so many other villagers, is sealed inside you. How can ANYONE love you?” _

“STOP IT!” 

-

Naruto opened his eyes. He was breathing hard and fell forward onto his hands. He was gasping for air. He felt like he couldn’t breath.

Yamato was at his side in an instant. “Naruto!? Are you alright?” 

Naruto looked up and when Yamato reached out to touch him, he flinched away. “Don’t! I… I am sorry.” He felt sorry as soon as the words left his mouth. He saw the confusion and the hurt in Yamato's eyes when he slapped the hand away. 

Yamato gently touched his shoulder. “It’s alright. What happened?” 

Naruto looked down at his hands. His breathing had calmed down, but he still felt the inner turmoil inside him. “I saw someone. He looked exactly like me. We talked about… stuff.” Naruto shakily got up and looked at Yamato and Motoi. “I need to be alone for a little bit.” Even when Yamato tried to stop him and called after Naruto he didn’t stop.

“Yamato-san, we should let him be alone for a bit. He may have to figure out his feelings right now. This is the hardest part of this training. Being confronted with his own dark feelings and thoughts can be quite overwhelming. I am sure that he will figure it out.” 

Yamato wanted to go after him. He wanted to help the young man and be there for him. Naruto tended to bottle things up and that worried him. “If you think so…”

*

Naruto had disappeared into the woods and ran towards the coast where he could breathe a little easier. He sat down at the edge of the cliffs and watched the sea hit the rocks. His eyes drifted towards the sky and he saw some black birds fly over the stormy water. They looked happy. Wild and free. He smiled and suddenly he felt tears stream down his cheeks. That other Naruto was right. His insecurities were always a part of him, they never left him. He was always careful around other villagers and the older shinobi. He always tried to be cheerful and funny but on the inside he always felt a small part of him that called him to caution. Maybe they might do something to him, maybe they might hurt him again, because he was a Jinchuriki. Of course, he would never forget those nights when he was starving because the stores would not sell any food to him. He was just a little boy, but the people hated him with such a vigor that sometimes he was afraid to even leave the house. He may not have any scars from the beatings, but he would never forget. He gritted his teeth and bit his lip as he remembered. 

Kakashi was another thing completely. Since he started to have feelings for Kakashi he was also doubting himself a lot, but now that he experienced this encounter with his darker part, he felt even more insecure about himself. Kakashi told him that he loved him, but what exactly did he love about him? He was so much younger and inexperienced than Kakashi. He was still a Genin and the Akatsuki were out there trying to hunt him down. Naruto sniffed and realized that even though he was so sure about himself and his feelings a couple of days ago, he was now doubting everything he thought and believed in. He felt so lost all of a sudden. What happened? 

He looked at the sea and watched how the waves clashed against the dark grey of the cliffs. They grey reminded him of Kakashi’s eye. The way they looked at him when Kakashi held him in his arms. The breeze that was blowing over the sea and gently hit his face was warm - like Kakashi’s embrace. 

Of course, he was worried what the people of the village thought of him. He would probably always worry about that, but he would show them that he was Uzumaki Naruto from Konoha. He would show them that he was a great shinobi and that he would be the best Hokage that Konoha has ever seen. Things were different now. He wasn’t alone anymore. He had his friends, Iruka-Sensei, Yamato-Taicho, Sai, Shikamaru, Sakura-chan, Gai-Sensei and Kakashi. He would be promoted to Chunin soon, like all of his friends and hopefully he would be a Jonin too! He would make Kakashi proud. He dreamed of the day when they could walk through the village – hand in hand – like a real couple. _He loves me. I have to believe in him. Kakashi would never lie to me._ _And I have to believe in myself too. Dattebayo._ He closed his eyes and leaned back on his hands. Letting the wind caress his cheeks. The tears have already dried. Yamato’s and Motoi’s Chakra drew closer and Naruto tried to enjoy the last few moments of peace. 

“Naruto?” Yamato’s gentle voice broke the silence that had engulfed the blond. “Are you alright? I was worried and decided to look for you.” 

Naruto sat up and started to rub his eyes. “Ah. I am sorry, Yamato-Taicho. I am alright. I just needed to think a little bit.”

**

It was just in time that Killer Bee found them. The Squid was back and attacked them again. He grabbed Motoi and even though Yamato and Naruto were ready to jump into action and save the other shinobi, it was Bee who actually saved Motoi. It seemed like Bee approved greatly of Naruto’s attempt to save Motoi because now he was taking the blond back to the waterfall and started to rap with him. Yamato and Motoi watched them in amusement. Before Naruto went back to the waterfall, Killer Bee stopped Naruto. “Don’t be scared. This time you can do it.” Naruto nodded and looked at the other Jinchuriki with a grateful smile. He was thankful for the encouraging words. He walked over the water and sat down on the soft grass. The sounds of the waterfall lulled him into a deep meditation. His eyes were closed, and he found himself in front of the waterfall again where his counterpart was again waiting for him. 

_ “I see, you are back?” _

“Yes.” 

_ “So, what will you do? You cannot get rid of me. I am a part of you. I know you better than anyone.” _

“Well, then you already know what I want?” 

_ “I don’t know what you mean.” _

“Well, if this is the part that is hidden in my heart I can simply show you.” 

Naruto stood up and pressed the palms of his hands flat against each other. He closed his eyes and concentrated. A signature appeared over Naruto’s head. 

“You are right, that I was suspicious why they wanted my autograph. I didn’t know what to write. I am still cautious sometimes and scared that this might be a dream and when I wake up, I will be in my little flat again, starving and lonely. But you know what? I am not alone anymore. There’s Iruka-Sensei, Yamato-Taicho, Sai and Sakura-chan and Shikamaru and everybody else. I love my friends and I know that they care about me. You were also right about Kakashi … I am so scared that he might wake up one morning and tell me that this was all a big mistake and that he doesn’t feel the same as I do. My dream is that one day I might sign an autograph with that signature. That would make me the happiest man alive. That is my answer to your question.” He pointed upwards and smiled. “I realized that before I can trust anyone else, I have to trust in myself. I will make my dreams come true. I will become Hokage and that –“ He pointed at the signature. “- maybe, that will happen too.” He grinned.

_ “But what about me? What should I do now! Am I a burden to you!?”  _

“Because of you I am who I am today. I became strong. Thank you.” 

His counterpart sniffed and tears were streaming down his cheeks. Naruto walked up to him and wrapped his arms around him. Their cheeks gently touched.

“Wouldn’t it be nice,… to be Hokage and to sign papers with that name?”

The dark counterpart slowly disappeared. _ “It is a good name... and a good dream.” _

Naruto smiled.  _ It is.  _ The signature, that he imagined, slowly disappeared as well and he looked at it with a longing gaze. 

_ Hatake Naruto.  _

_ * _

When he opened his eyes, he thought about Kakashi and his heart was racing. He was sure about his feelings for Kakashi and he would never give up on his dreams. He turned his head around and grinned at Yamato, Bee and Motoi. He could see the joy in Yamato’s eyes. Bee gave him a happy thumbs up and congratulated him. Naruto jumped up. “I did it!” 

“Naruto that is great!” Yamato was by his side immediately and gently squeezed his shoulder.

The Joy of the moment was broken when Bee made them realize that this was not the training to control the Bijuu. Naruto and Yamato followed Bee through the waterfall, while Motoi decided to head back to the ‘Hachibi-House’, to stay in touch with Kumogakure. 

Bee took them to an underground cave that was constructed like an old temple. Statues lined their way and they made their way into one of the temple buildings. The walls were painted with pictures of the Bijuu. Naruto knew some of them but decided not to comment on them. He kept close to Bee and followed him as he took them further into the old temple. 

“Here you will fight the Kyuubi.” Bee said rather offhandedly. 

“I hope you are not planning to do anything remotely dangerous?!” Yamato was keeping close to Naruto and the younger shinobi chuckled because he felt anxiety radiating from Yamato in waves. 

***


	14. Kisame

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The guys are still on the island, and Narutos training is still in progress, but suddenly Kisame is back in the picture. Gai and Aoba are taking care of things.  
> 

Naruto was ecstatic when he opened his eyes. He really did it! He was able to control the Kyuubi's Chakra! They stayed in the room for quite some time and Naruto had completely lost the feeling for time and space while he was fighting with the Kyuubi. He felt the warm glow of the Kyuubi’s Chakra surrounding him. 

“It seems to have a great influence on my wood Jutsu.” Yamato observed. But not only that. Naruto felt a sinister presence in the room. “Where are you!?” He screamed. The others were looking at him confused. “What do you mean Naruto?” 

“Somebody is here with us! It’s the Katana!” 

**

When Gai-san finally woke up again he saw Aoba lightly snoring in the chair next to his bed. Aoba was a good guy. He had taken care of him the whole journey, while Gai was seasick. After their little disagreement and Yamato’s fight with Aoba they all grew really close. He realized that Aoba was a rather closed off and rather strict man who liked being professional on missions but still he didn’t miss Aoba’s yearning looks when Naruto hugged Yamato and Gai. It seemed that Aoba was so focused on rules and professionality that he finally started to see how much he actually missed being close to people and having fun. Gai thought that Aoba would maybe look for friendship with Naruto or that he would maybe look for a professional friendship with Yamato, but no, Aoba decided to stick close to Gai, which was fine with him, since he liked the other man. They always had nice conversations and he was glad that Aoba helped him with his seasickness. 

He poked Aoba’s leg that was resting on his bed, with his foot. “Yo, Aoba, wake up.” 

Aoba grunted sleepily. “What?”

“Wake up!” 

Aoba brushed his hands through his hair. “Alright… I am awake.” He yawned and looked at Gai. “You look better. Your face is not green anymore. That’s a good sign.” 

“Thank you. I feel much better. Where is everyone?” 

Aoba stretched his arms above his head and yawned again. “I don’t know. I fell asleep shortly after you… We should go and look for them.” 

Gai nodded and got up from his bed. Aoba moved out of the chair as well. Just then there was a knock on the door. “Come in!” Gai called and the door was pushed open. Motoi stepped inside and greeted them very politely. He bowed his head. “Gai-san, Aoba-san.” 

“Motoi-san, would you, by any chance know where everybody is?” 

Motoi nodded. “Of course. Naruto is with Bee-san. He is training to control the Kyuubi's Chakra. Your fellow shinobi, Yamato-san, went with him. I came back here to report.” 

Aoba looked at Gai who was already bubbling over with excitement. “What?! Naruto is doing such amazing training?! That is the power of youth! Where is he? You have to show me the way to him immediately!” Aoba chuckled. He was glad that Gai was feeling better. – But the green beast of Konoha in his full glory was a bit much, he had to admit that. He touched his head. “I have to admit… He may be a bit weird.” He whispered to Motoi. 

“That’s… alright.” Motoi stared at Gai and chuckled. Naruto had some funny friends. 

*

“It seems like you're some kind of Sensor-Type. Maybe that is the power of the Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi.” Naruto, Yamato and Bee stared at the man that suddenly moved his body out of the huge Katana. 

“How can this be? I remember how I cut off your head.” Bee pointed at him and groaned.

Yamato was on high alert as he saw the Akatsuki-member in front of him. He couldn’t believe what just happened. That would mean that this man was with them the whole time! He may have even listened to secret conversations and that may put Naruto and Bee in high risk! He talked about how he used a decoy that made it possible for him to escape and hide in the Katana while the clone was being decapitated. It seemed the situation was a little too dangerous for Kisame, because he decided to flee, but Naruto was on his heels. 

“How does he know how to open this room?!” Bee yelled when he saw the door open.

Naruto flickered over to the man and punched him so hard that he crashed into the wall. 

The enemy was able to flee and while Yamato pulled Naruto from the wall, Bee followed the escaping shark-man. 

**

Outside of the temple-structure, Gai and Aoba finally caught up with their friends. Gai watched the waterfall and listened to Motoi’s story. “When you watch the waterfall you will see your true self?? Well, I know my true youthful self! Haha!” 

Aoba looked at Gai with a challenging grin. “How about it Gai-san, are you gonna try it?” 

“Maaah!! First of all, we have to help Naruto! I am here as his Sensei, to protect him!” 

Aoba smiled and shook his head. Gai started walking with enthusiastic steps, ready to look for Naruto. Aoba dutifully followed Gai with his hands in his pockets and an amused grin on his lips. “No need to get all crazy about it. Maybe you are just afraid to find out about your true self?” 

“WHAT?! How dare you say that? My youth commands me to take this challenge. I will show you that I am ready to face my true self!” They looked at each other. Gai jumped over the water and sat in the exact same spot where Naruto sat just a few hours ago. He closed his eyes and concentrated. He listened to the sound of the water and the silence of his mind. 

A few moments later there was a voice calling for him.  _ “Gai. No need to scream about youth here. I understand that in front of Lee you wanna be young, but in front of Aoba you don’t have to act like that,… do you? He may like you just the way you are…”  _ Gai felt sweat starting to form on his forehead. What the hell was going on? Was this what Motoi was telling them about? What would he see? 

“Who are you?” He called. “Show yourself. Then I will tell you what I have to say!” 

Just when the water started to splash and Gai thought that he would meet his counterpart, something came racing towards them from within the cave. Gai heard Aoba’s worried scream “Gai-san! That is not your true self! Watch out!” He jumped back to gain some distance and in the same moment he felt Aoba's Chakra rise and soon the other shinobi was next to him to back him up. Gais' body moved on its own when he kicked the beast into the mountainside next to the waterfall. “So, that means that this is not my true self?” He turned around and sheepishly looked at Aoba. 

“Gai-san. Look at it. That could never be your true self.” Motoi gaped at the sheer strength that the shinobi just displayed with a mare kick. “Eh, the moment you open your eyes you leave the waterfall of truth.” 

Gai looked at the enemy and somehow, he felt like he knew him. The Katana freed itself of the Akatsuki and happily slithered back to Bee, who just appeared next to Gai and the others. Kisame used the opportunity, when the others didn’t watch and the Katana was happily cuddling with the Jinchuriki, to slip into the water and grab the hilt of the sword to draw Chakra from Bee. 

Aoba realized the danger they were all in. If they didn’t capture the Akatsuki spy now, this could be very dangerous later on. They needed to capture him and if possible, take him down.    
“Gai-san, Help me! We need to catch that Akatsuki, we need information from him. I can try to pull some information from him!” Aoba tried to attack him head on, but his Chakra induced Kunai was not very useful against his enemy. When Gai realized that Aoba was in a dire situation he attacked the Akatsuki member without hesitation. That gave Aoba enough time to withdraw. 

Kisame’s Chakra reserves were refilled and he decided that he would leave the scene quickly, to send all the gathered information about the Bijuu and the Jinchuriki to the Leader. He left the battle ground hurriedly. 

Gai watched the Akatsuki leave but acted quickly. He concentrated his Chakra and opened the first six doors of his Hachimon Tonkou and followed the escaping Akatsuki towards the shore, where a fight between him and Kisame started. 

“Gai!” Aoba watched as Gai raced after the Akatsuki member and groaned as he got up. “I have to follow him!” 

*

When Aoba arrived at the shore, he saw Gai dragging an unconscious Kisame behind him. He ran towards him. “Gai-san! Gai-san, are you alright? What happened?” 

Gai san smiled a little sheepishly and scratched his neck in an awkward way. “Ah, mah, mah, I way have gone a little overboard. But you should get all the information that we need. Don’t you think?” 

“Indeed. I am glad that you are alright and unharmed!” They dragged the Akatsuki back to land and waited for Naruto, Yamato, Bee and Motoi to arrive as well. Yamato created a contraption that would hold the unconscious man trapped while Aoba searched in his mind for information about the Akatsuki and Madara’s plan. 

Aoba stepped closer to the bound man and put his hand on Kisame’s head. The others watched him wearily. Such a Jutsu on enemy shinobi was always considered risky, but he had to do it. For his friends. For his village. “I am going in.” He whispered and closed his eyes to concentrate his mind on the Jutsu. He wasn’t as good as Inoichi-san, but he would do his best to find out as much as he could! He found information about Kisame’s life and even how and why he joined the Akatsuki. Suddenly Aoba thought that finally he may have found something that might bring them closer. He might have really found the true identity of the masked man that everyone was talking about. He pushed deeper. He had to find out more. But shortly before Aoba found out who the man with the mask really was, he was forcefully pushed out of Kisame’s mind. He was shocked when he watched Kisame. The shark-man had bitten off his own tongue and tried forcefully to get out of the contraption that Yamato put him in. “He woke himself up again! He bit his own tongue off!!” 

Kisame broke free and the wood prison that was supposed to suppress his Chakra had no longer any effect on him. Yamato moved his body in front of Naruto’s, even though there was probably no real danger anymore because Kisame was still suffering from Chakra depletion and the fight with Gai. Gai moved in front of Aoba, who was still a bit exhausted from the strenuous Mind-Jutsu. 

“We have to catch him alive! This might be the only chance that we have to find out what they are planning!” Aoba pleaded and tried to get back up, but Gai was already moving. 

“Got it!” Gai shouted. Gai tried to attack Kisame but before his punch could reach him, his whole body was engulfed in huge Suiton, Senshokukō. The Water that had engulfed his whole body swirled silently around him.

**

In his last moments Kisame was thinking about a conversation he had with Itachi. How he missed that melancholy shinobi... Maybe he would see him again, wherever he went after this was over. Maybe he was waiting for him. He would go to that place and ask Itachi if this was all worth it. 

**

Naruto and the others stood there, frozen in their spots. They couldn’t believe what just happened. Kisame was dead. They watched him being eaten alive by his sharks. Gai walked over to Naruto and gently squeezed his shoulder. “He was a great opponent and the life of a ninja will always be evaluated by the way they die. I will never forget him.” He felt Naruto shiver. Yamato came up behind him and nodded. “I got this.” The wood-user wrapped his arm around Naruto’s shoulder and led him away from the blood-stained grass. 

Gai was grateful that Yamato took care of their young friend. He walked over to Aoba who was still kneeling in a near distance, still exhausted from the use of the Mind-Jutsu. “Are you alright, my friend?” 

They shared a tender look and Gai helped the tired looking man stand. Aoba groaned. “Yes. I will be fine. Thank you, Gai-san.”

*


	15. Losing a friend and finding love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yamato felt like the peaceful times were over. They wouldn’t be able to keep Naruto on the island much longer. They tried to occupy his mind as much as they could with the training of the Bijuu but since Naruto was a fast and hard learner, Yamato realized that he soon would have to find a new way to get Narutos attention. He stood outside the temple structure and ruffled his hair. What should he do? Suddenly he heard a loud crash on the surface.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When Yamato was taken, nobody told Naruto anything. I didn’t like that Naruto was portrayed as a ‘dumb’.  
> I think he was very perceptive and intelligent.  
> Hinting of AoGai romance   
> (There will be a AoGai side story)
> 
> Gai-Sensei is awesome, just like kudos and comments.

Yamato felt like the peaceful times were over. They wouldn’t be able to keep Naruto on the island much longer. They tried to occupy his mind as much as they could with the training of the Bijuu but since Naruto was a fast and hard learner, Yamato realized that he soon would have to find a new way to get Naruto’s attention. He stood outside the temple structure and ruffled his hair. What should he do? 

Suddenly there was a loud crash on the surface.

Gai was with Naruto, so he decided to take a look. He gestured to Aoba to follow him and together they made their way through the woods. They arrived at the shore and saw the Tsuchikage and his guards trying to fight off Kabuto and Deidara, who were flying on one of his clay birds. Yamato gulped and decided to join the fight and help the Tsuchikage. It seemed like the fight was going to their advantage. The Tsuchikage was concentrating on his fight against Deidara, who was furiously yelling profanities against the old man. They were busy up in the air so the Kage wasn’t able to see or help with the dealings on the ground. 

Yamato and Aoba were able to successfully hold Kabuto in a wood-lock. Aoba wanted to try to get Information out of him that they might use against the Akatsuki and Madara, during the war. He walked up to him and got ready to use his mind-transfer Jutsu when suddenly Kabuto started to peel his skin off, just like Orochimaru was able to. A huge snake-like-creature was crawling out of his body, pushed Aoba away and slithered towards Yamato. 

Yamato yelled at Motoi to run and pushed the other man out of the way, in a last attempt to save him, before Kabuto’s disgusting snake-like-form swallowed the wood-user. Aoba screamed in horror when he watched Yamato being captured. “NOOO! Yamato!” Kabuto’s snake-like-body raced away, and he could only watch, while being trapped in the hard earth Jutsu on the ground. He just couldn’t believe what just happened. They needed to save Yamato! First of all, he needed to get out of this damn earth-Jutsu. The Tsuchikage landed in front of them looking at them with confusion. “What happened here?!” 

“Yamato, Naruto’s guardian, was taken by Kabuto.” Motoi explained with a somber voice. He looked back to Aoba who was still immobilized on the ground.    
“Help me up! I need to go after Kabuto and -!” 

“That would be useless. I can’t feel them anywhere near. They have left the island. I am sorry. I think that the wood-user was taken. They might want to question him about the Kyuubi…” 

Aoba bit his lip. That was the worst possible turn that this mission could take. How was he supposed to keep this a secret? How was he supposed to explain this to Naruto? Yamato was so important to the young shinobi... If he found out that the Akatsuki took Yamato to torture and question him about the Kyuubi and the Hachibi, this would probably kill Naruto. He would immediately want to go after them and save the wood-user. 

“Oh god. What are we going to do?” He asked himself. The Tsuchikage helped him up and he sat on the remains of Yamato’s wood contraption that was supposed to keep Kabuto locked up. He held his head and brushed his hands through his hair. He felt so helpless right now. What would Kakashi-san do? 

**

In the meantime, Yamato was taken as a prisoner into the underground caves where he would meet the leader of the Akatsuki. Yamato groaned as he was dragged into the underground caverns. “You must know that it is completely useless to take me as a captive. I won’t tell you anything about Naruto. You should have just killed me.” He gritted his teeth angrily at the pale man. 

“Is that so? Well, I am not gonna be the one who will be questioning you. You might be changing your perspective. Maybe you will be more cooperative soon.” 

“Never. I will protect him. Even if it will cost me my life.” 

Kabuto stopped moving and looked at Yamato with an annoyed and slightly disgusted face. “I couldn’t care less about the Bijuu or the Jinchuriki… But I am disgusted with this love and caring nature that you Konoha people try to show everyone. You think I really buy that you would give your life for that brat?” 

Yamato’s breath was getting ragged and the ropes that were tightly holding his body were starting to hurt. “And I don’t give a shit that you don’t believe it, but I am Naruto’s Guardian, and I will never betray the trust that he has in me!” Yamato growled. 

Steps came out of the darkness of the cave and all that Yamato could make out was a tall man with dark cloth. They greeted each other and Kabuto told him that even though he wasn’t able to obtain the Kyuubi or the Hachibi, he was able to capture him. Yamato tried to catch a glimpse of the man’s face and felt a shiver run down his spine when he saw a white mask covering the face. 

“You should have brought me the Kyuubi and the Hachibi.” The deep voice of the stranger said. 

“I brought you the guardian of the Kyuubi instead. He could have some insight and secrets that might be useful for us.” 

They were quiet for a moment. “Poison?” He spoke of the snake that was tightly wrapped around Yamato’s hands and was constantly pushing her poison through her teeth into Yamato’s body. His eyesight was getting blurry and he was getting dizzy. The poison was suppressing his Chakra and he wasn’t able to use his wood-Jutsu. 

_ Forgive me Naruto. I can’t do anything… _

**

Aoba made it back to the temple structure. He almost didn’t want to enter the building. Motoi squeezed his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him and show his support. “Thank you, Motoi-san.” 

Together they made their way back inside, where Gai, Naruto and Bee-san were still training together. When Naruto saw Aoba, he immediately jogged towards him and started to question him. “Aoba, what happened outside? Is the earthquake over now? Can we go outside again? Where is Yamato-Taicho?” 

Aoba’s cool expression twitched when Yamato’s name was mentioned. Gai immediately realized that something must have happened. But as soon as he wanted to say something to distract the young shinobi, he realized that Naruto had also observed Aoba’s discomfort as well. Aoba couldn’t contain his anxiety anymore. That he wasn’t able to help Yamato was weighing heavy on his conscience. 

“What happened? Where is Yamato-Taicho?!” Naruto asked with more urgency. He tried to move closer to the door, but Gai held the blond back. 

“Let’s not move to fast conclusions. It was just an earthquake; I am sure that Yamato will be back soon!” Gai tried to calm the blond down. 

“Would you all please STOP trying to kid me here? I know that Tsunade-baa-chan only sent me away because something is going on. I know that it has something to do with the Akatsuki and Madara. I am not stupid. I only went on this mission because Kakashi asked me to go. And damn it, I really need to know where Yamato-Taicho is! He is gone for quite some time now… You two left together and now you’ve returned alone, and you look like hell! Something happened! Please tell me!” 

Aoba bit his lip and tried to stay composed in front of Naruto. Gai was perplexed. He didn’t think that Naruto would realize that this mission was an attempt to get him away from everything so soon. He met Aoba’s worried gaze. The Jonin really didn’t look to good. Something had indeed happened. “Tell us Aoba.” He ordered. 

“Gai-san!”

Gai shook his head and gestured to him to stop. “Naruto is right. He knows, so what good would it do if we hide things from him now. Tell us what happened.” 

Aoba lowered his head and looked at his hands that were still bruised from the fight earlier. “We had to fight against Kabuto. He took Yamato as a captive. –“ He looked at Naruto, who stood frozen in his spot. Eyes wide open. Gaping at the new information. 

Gai was standing close beside him and put an arm around the blond and gently squeezed his shoulder. Naruto tried to understand what Aoba just said. “What?” 

Aoba understood Naruto’s shock. Yamato was one of Naruto’s most important people, that he was suddenly taken away from him must be horrible and barely understandable to the young shinobi.    
“I couldn’t help him… I was trapped by an earth jutsu and –“ 

“WELL YOU SHOULD HAVE!” Naruto pushed Gai’s arm away and took two steps towards Aoba to grab the man by the vest and aggressively shook him. “How could you let this happen? How could you let Kabuto take Yamato-Taicho away?! He will take him to the Akatsuki! They will torture him, maybe kill him!!” Tears were forming in the blue eyes. Naruto felt his lips starting to tremble. His fists pounded angrily against Aoba’s chest. His knuckles were turning white. “How could you let Kabuto take him!!” He couldn’t stop the tears anymore. He slumped against Aoba’s chest and started to cry. 

Aoba stood there and helplessly watched the young shinobi cry. He knew how important Yamato was for Naruto as a guardian and as a friend, but seeing him now made it even more clear to him that they absolutely had to save Yamato. 

Naruto felt Aoba hug him and soon he also felt Gai-Sensei’s gentle hand caressing his head. “Don’t worry. We will save Yamato.”

He sniffed and looked at the two shinobi. “You promise that we will find Yamato-Taicho?” 

Aoba nodded. “We are a team, right?” 

Naruto pulled away and looked at them. “Yes.” He rubbed his eyes and brushed his snotty nose. “We are. Dattebayo.” 

“No one will be left behind.” Gai smiled at the blond.

**

Gai thought it was useless to keep further information about the war from Naruto, but Aoba and the others thought very differently. They wanted to keep Naruto and Bee on the island, far away from the war. Gai on the other hand knew that they wouldn’t be able to keep Naruto here much longer for various reasons, one would be that they had to go after Kabuto and save Yamato, another reason would be that he had promised Kakashi that he would help him on the battlefield when the war started. That would of course mean that he had to leave the island sooner or later anyways…    
Aoba and Gai were starting to argue about this and Gai was getting seriously agitated by Aoba’s unwillingness to cooperate and simply tell Naruto what was going on. 

“Gai-san, you must understand what it would mean if we told Naruto everything that was going on!”

Gai shook his head. “Much more important is that you should realize that our time here with Naruto is limited. We will be called to the front very soon. They will need you at Intelligence, and Kakashi already told me that he wants me as his right hand man, leading the troops. I need to leave as soon as possible to join my Eternal Rival at the front to assist him in this battle. I understand that we need to keep Naruto safe, but is this really the best way? To lie to him? To keep secrets from him?” His voice was rising. “Doesn’t he deserve to know what is happening and where Kakashi is right now?” The Jonin looked at Aoba’s worried face and watched him as he clenched his fists. He felt agitated and angry. Why wouldn’t Aoba understand!?

“Tsunade-sama ordered us not to tell him.” He couldn’t. He tried to be more open to Gai-san’s and Kakashi-san’s defiant ways, but he needed rules and he needed a more structured way of life. Maybe this wasn’t working for him after all. “I am sorry Gai-san. I won’t go against Tsunade-sama’s orders.” He saw Gai’s disappointed look. It hurt to see the other man look at him like that. “Please don’t… don’t look at me like that. I feel guilty enough as it is, because I couldn’t stop Kabuto, but I can’t take it if you look at me like this.” He looked down at his feet in shame. 

Gai exhaled and turned away. “I don’t blame you. I understand that you wish to follow the rules and the orders that Hokage-sama gave us. I think that Naruto’s new guardians will arrive soon enough. Iruka-san should be with them, he will take over from here on and we will go our separate ways.” Gai stepped away from Aoba. 

“Gai-san,… I am sorry.” He whispered. 

“It’s not me that you should apologize to. I told you this before. Do you remember our talk on the ship? You underestimate Naruto constantly. What do you think he will do when he finds out what is going on out there and where Kakashi is?” Gai stopped and looked back at Aoba. His face showed a mixture of anger and pain. “What would you do in his situation?” 

Their eyes met and Aoba felt his heart race with all the things unspoken between them. His palms were getting sweaty when he clenched his fists. He was glad that he was still wearing his glasses. 

“I would come running after you…” 

They stared at each other. Aoba lost track of time. Neither said anything.    
Gai was staring at him. He blinked a few times and tried to make sense of what Aoba just said. 

“… After Me?” 

Aoba bit his bottom lip. Why did he say that?! “I need to go. Excuse me.” He rushed out of the room and slammed the door shut. 

Gai stared at the door and was left totally confused. 

*

While Gai and Aoba were fighting about if they should tell Naruto about what was going on or not, Tsunade was fighting on another front. The Kage had decided to meet again. They sat around the round table in Kumogakure and were discussing the next moves of the war. Tsunade was still confident that it was the right thing to do to send Naruto away, but she didn’t feel too sure about promoting Kakashi to lead the troops. She registered the discomfort in the Jonin and the urgency in which he departed the village when Gai’s SOS signal came. She was sure that there was no one more qualified than Kakashi, but of course she had realized that the man had changed when he came back to the village. She asked him if he was ready to lead the troops into battle and like a good shinobi he dutifully bowed and said ‘yes’. She wasn’t satisfied with that. She felt it in her guts, that something must have happened between Kakashi and Naruto. 

While she was with the other Kage she tried to focus only on the things at hand. The war had to be prepared and the shinobi troops were already gathering. She felt restless and nervous. This wasn’t the first war that she was fighting in, but it would be for many other (younger) shinobi. They would see horrible things and if they survived, they may never recover from this. She groaned. Why did it have to come to this? 

*

Bee took Naruto back to the Bijuu temple to further instruct him how to control and master the Bijuu Chakra. Gai was glad that Bee took care of Naruto, because he registered that the Nara, Akimichi and Hyuuga shinobi, closely followed by Iruka-san, arrived on the island to take over their watch duties. While they took their positions in front of the temple, Gai decided that he would look for Aoba. 

_ He has to be on the island. He couldn’t have left already… _ After Gai had greeted Iruka and the other Konoha shinobi, he hurriedly excused himself. He went back to the House and immediately went to the floor that they were staying on. “Aoba?” He called but when no answer came, he called again. He looked through the rooms and got a little restless when he couldn’t find him. Damn it!” He slammed his fist against the nearby wall. “Why the hell did he leave?” He heard a noise at the end of the hall and he quickly went to investigate. He stood frozen in front of the door and hesitated for a moment when he reached to open it. He swallowed and pushed the door open. He saw Aoba sitting on his bed holding his glasses in his left hand while his right hand was angrily rubbing his eyes. 

He didn’t realize the intruder immediately, but when he saw Gai he jumped from the bed and tried to leave the room quickly. 

Gai moved in front of him and took a hold of his shoulders. “Wait!” 

Aoba huffed and tried to shake Gai’s hands off. “I am sorry! I shouldn’t have said those things. I didn’t mean it. Please just forget about everything I said!” 

Gai’s brows scrunched together and he looked confused. “You didn’t? –“ He gently squeezed the shoulders of the other man in front of him. “I thought, you said, that you would come running after me if I would be on a battlefield… was I wrong?” Since Gai was a little taller than Aoba he looked down into the deep brown eyes and smiled at the other shinobi who looked at him with insecurity. 

Aoba felt himself blush. His cheeks were suddenly feeling quite hot. Since they spend so much time together on the ship and on the island, he developed feelings for the other man. He just couldn’t help it. Since Yamato was always doting on Naruto, he was spending most of his time with Gai and it just happened… “No, you were not wrong. I… I said that.” He felt so embarrassed. He had had many relationships in his life, but he had never been with a man. Gai was also someone that he knew his entire life since they were in Academy together. Falling in love in his early thirties, with a man that he had known his entire life, was weird to say the least. He felt Gai’s hand on his shoulder and he looked at him with uncertainty written all over his face. “Believe me, I didn’t intend for this to happen. I know you probably don’t even feel the same, and that is totally fine. But, since we’ve known each other for so long –“ He swallowed heavily and took in a deep breath. “I… really meant what I said… I would come running after you… on the battlefield, because I care about you, Gai. And about our disagreement earlier… -“ 

Gai wrapped his arms around Aoba’s shoulder. “I know that rules and orders are very important to you. You have always been that way, since we were children. I have always been more of a youthful rebel, I guess.” Gai laughed. “But people are different.” He patted Aoba's shoulder. “Don’t worry about our disagreement, Aoba.” His voice dropped. 

“Gai-san…” Aoba wrapped his arms around Gai’s torso. 

“I hope that you will be safe with the Intelligence Team, Aoba.” The black haired Jonin let his head drop to Aoba’s shoulder and hugged the other man close to his body. “Maybe we can talk… after this war is over.” 

Aoba clenched his fingers into the dark green material of Gai’s vest. His lip was trembling. It seemed like the atmosphere was buzzing with all the things that they wanted to say – but couldn’t. Aoba buried his face in Gai’s shoulder and nodded. “Yes. Sure. We can do that.” He mumbled into the green jacket. 

Gai pulled away and looked at Aoba to smile tenderly at him. “Do you remember when we went on our first mission together?” 

Aoba groaned. “Of course, I remember that. Why are you bringing that up now?” He blushed and averted Gai’s grinning face. 

“Because it was fun! We should do something like that again when the war is over. Just you and me.” 

“Absolutely not Gai-san. I think you and I have very different memories of that mission and different definitions of ‘fun’.” 

Gai scratched his chin and smiled sheepishly at Aoba. He patted his arm and started laughing in his usual energetic manner. “Mah, mah Aoba! I think that I remember it quite well, we went to Kimu-san in Kumogakure to transport a roll with important information and she let us stay at her fine establishment.” 

Aoba’s face was turning red from embarrassment. “Yes, the mission went fine, but it wasn’t such a ‘fine’ establishment Gai-san! Kimu-san was smuggling drugs and she ran an underground brothel! Don’t you remember? And the rooms she rented us were in her pleasure house! It was horrible!” He tried to hide his blushing face in his hands. 

“Yes, exactly!” He threw back his head in an exaggerated manner while he was laughing cheerfully. “Now I remember. You seemed a little grumpy the whole time... I couldn’t understand why. The missions back then were so much fun. Don’t you think?” 

Aoba smacked his face and cringed. The sun was still high in the sky and Naruto was probably still training with Bee. They wouldn’t have much more time since Gai would have to leave soon to join Kakashi and Aoba knew that he had to join Inoichi-san and the Intelligence Team. 

“I am sorry that we have to part on such terms. Are you alright?” The green beast of Konoha reached for Aoba’s hand and gently squeezed it. His heart was racing in his chest. No woman had ever made him feel such things. He took in a deep breath. “Sure. I hope that you will be alright too when you join Kakashi-san at the front.” He squeezed Gai’s hand. “You promised me that we will talk after the war, so you have to come back, Gai-san. Remember that.” 

When their eyes met in a deep tender gaze, he knew that he would do anything to return from this war. He caressed the slightly scraped up fingers in his hands. “I can understand Kakashi a little better now, and why he is fighting so hard to protect Naruto...” His thumb gently caressed Aoba’s hand. “Kakashi fights for someone who is very important to him. He would do anything to return home.” 

Gai pulled away from Aoba. “I spoke with Iruka and the others before I came after you. They will take over watch duty now. Naruto is training with Bee. I have to leave now, my Rival needs me at the front.” 

“Of course. I should leave as well.” 

Aoba smiled and gently squeezed his hand before letting his hands drop to his side. They would part ways now, but this would only be temporary. He would see Gai again. 

***


	16. fighting for you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> His body was still tingling all over from the kisses he shared with Naruto. He felt the hot water run over his shoulders and his neck, where Naruto had touched him. He closed his eyes and longingly thought about the blond shinobi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you have noticed I have decided to give Gai a little side (love) story. Which I may explore a little bit more.   
> This chapter is focused on Kakashi’s perspective after he returned to Konoha and the preparations for the war.  
> *SEXY TIMES!*
> 
> While I was writing this chapter, I was listening to Ikimono Gakari, Anata.  
> Gai-Sensei is awesome, and so are kudos and comments ;)  
> I love you all.

When Kakashi arrived back in Konoha he went straight back to their apartment. He felt dead tired and just wanted to get to sleep. He opened the door, went inside, and undressed. Kakashi closed the door behind him and went straight to the shower. The water was running a few moments and the tired looking man only waited until it reached a warm temperature. He stepped inside the shower and groaned. His hands reached for the shower wall and he leaned against the hard, cold tiles. His body was still tingling all over from the kisses he shared with Naruto. He felt the hot water run over his shoulders and his neck, where Naruto had touched him. He closed his eyes and longingly thought about the blond shinobi. He couldn’t remember the last time he had felt this way. 

Actually, he had never felt like this before. When he was younger, he was too busy grieving for his family, his team, and his Sensei. Now in his early thirties he felt like he was finally able to open his heart again. He felt himself blush. He was in love like never before… Naruto held his fragile heart in his hands and Kakashi was afraid what the future held for them. 

He was not only afraid because the war was coming and that it may divide them. He also felt afraid because of his feelings and his desires for Naruto. He watched some of his friends have relationships over the years and he wished that he could have all of that too. He had watched Kurenai’s and Asuma’s dating, he watched Aoba’s romantic escapades over the years and he watched Hayate’s awkward attempts at proposing to Yugao. Having all those feelings directed towards Naruto now made him nervous as hell. Some of his friends were able to sustain healthy relationships over their active years as shinobi. 

He never wanted to have a relationship, mainly because he never had those close and intimate feelings for anyone, and he never wanted to open up to anyone. In fact, during his active ANBU years he had several sexual partners, but that never went further than one-nightstands, simply because he wasn’t able to open up (emotionally) towards the other person. Sometimes he wished that he were able to simply forget the horrible events with his friends, his family, his team and his Sensei, but he couldn’t. Gai once told him when they were much younger, that he hoped that Kakashi would find someone who would help him tear down those walls that he had built up around himself and his heart. Kakashi closed his eyes and moaned as he enjoyed the hot water on his body. Gai was right. He had hidden himself behind a wall. He never wanted anyone to come to close and reach his true feelings. But loving Naruto made him realize how lonely he had been and how much he craved that closeness and intimacy. He was not even talking about sex there. He wished for someone to come home to and hold in his arms at night. 

Kakashi reached for the shower lotion and started to wash himself. Suddenly he smelled strawberries all around him and realized that he used Naruto’s shower lotion. He smiled and simply rubbed the strawberry scented lotion all over his body. He stepped right under the water and rinsed the pink bubbles off. He smiled. The shower was filled with Naruto’s sweet scent. “Naruto….” He moaned longingly as he washed the rest of the bubbles of his shoulders and his chest. 

He missed the blond ball of energy already. In his memories he saw the sweet smile grinning at him and his blushing face looking at him, shyly waiting for a kiss. He could not believe that Naruto really loved him. When Naruto left for his mission, he sent the younger man away, knowing that he might still be unsure of his feelings and that he might need some time to think and understand what he really wanted. It was hard for Kakashi to send Naruto away. Not only because of his strong feelings for the other shinobi, but also because not knowing where Naruto was and if the other was truly safe, was driving him insane. His protective and possessive nature was running wild when Naruto left the village. It was just a fact that Naruto provoked feelings in him that he never had before. When he felt Naruto’s lips touching his own, he had realized how his heart was violently pounding in his chest. How had he lived without this until now? 

His thoughts drifted to the young man, who was, again, so far away from him. He was longing for Naruto’s lips and his touch so much he didn’t know what to do with himself. Not even in his teenage years had he ever felt a love or a desire so strong. 

Kakashi was surrounded by the strawberry scent of Naruto’s sweet shower lotion and he moaned. His hands were gently traveling over his torso. As he touched his nipples, he started to twist them softly. He leaned his body against the cool tiles of the shower and reached for the shower lotion again. The stall filled with the scent of strawberries again. He rubbed the lotion all over his chest and let the lotion also drip over his lower abdomen and his cock that was slowly starting to get hard. He let his head drop back against the hard wall as his hand was traveling down to gently stroke his hardening flesh. His eyes closed and he started to dream about endless golden skin and wild blond hair. Kakashi’s breath was getting faster like his hand that was moving over his cock. He was stroking himself feverishly thinking about Naruto’s kisses and the way the young man had pressed himself against his body. 

He moaned and swallowed heavy. While his eyes were closed his jaw fell open. Kakashi was panting and his heart was racing. His left hand was still twisting his nipples while his other hand was jerking himself off. He groaned as he started to move his hips. His body was melting. “Naruto!” The name left his lips in a feverish whine. His left hand traveled downwards over his chest and his abdomen. His hips were frantically trusting into his hand. His head was swimming with desire and want. When his hand softly started to massage and fondle his balls Kakashi’s eyes rolled into the back of head and he moaned Naruto’s name again. 

He turned around and pressed his forehead heavily against the cold tiles. The shower stall was steaming with the hot water and his sweating body. Kakashi let his chest and his cheek drop against the wall and pushed his ass out. When he started to stroke his hard dick again, he groaned and bit his bottom lip. While his right hand was busy jerking him off, he slowly moved the fingers of his left hand a tad lower. Fuck, he was so hard. All he could think about was Naruto and all the things that he wanted to do to the blond… and all the things he wanted Naruto to do to him…

He felt dizzy. His fingers moved towards his ass and he let one finger slide in. “Hah! Naru-to.” He felt a shiver race through his body and his legs were trembling. He pushed his finger deeper while he moved his legs a little further apart. Kakashi felt how his whole body was getting really hot. He felt tight and wet inside and he started to move his finger. He couldn’t take it anymore. He pushed another finger inside and now he felt the stretch. His dick was twitching in his hand, and he trusted his hips faster into his hand. He was fucking himself with his fingers and he felt slightly dizzy as he was wantonly moaning Naruto’s name. He was panting hard and he just wanted to cum. Eagerly he slammed his fingers into his clenching hole as Naruto’s name fell from his lips in a loud groan. “Hmm. Fuck, Naruto!” He shuddered as he thrusted his throbbing cock into his hand. His head was swimming with thoughts about Naruto. A sated moan left his lips when he came all over his hand and the showerwall. 

The water was getting cooler and Kakashi was glad about that. After his breath was back to normal, Kakashi opened his eyes and decided it was time to get out. He quickly washed and turned off the shower. He took a towel and dried off languidly. The wet hair was nice and cool against his heated skin. Kakashi still felt a little conflicted about his intense feelings for Naruto, even though they had kissed and talked and Naruto told him that he was in love with Kakashi… he would probably need much more time to get used to all of this. 

When Kakashi laid down on his futon, he was overcome with a feeling of loneliness. He realized how quiet it was in their apartment without Naruto. He was so used to Naruto’s light snoring, that this silence was a little unnerving. After some tossing and turning, he was finally able to fall asleep. 

*

Kakashi woke up and blinked several times to get used to the bright light in the bedroom. Involuntarily he reached out to his right side, where Naruto’s futon usually would be. Usually. Because right now there was nothing. Naruto had put his futon away when he left for his mission. Kakashi groaned. He touched the cold, hard floor and tried not to feel totally miserable. 

_ We just saw each other yesterday. _ He thought desperately. M _ ahhh… I still miss him…  _

He sat up and ruffled his hair. He should report to the Hokage. That would take his mind off things. With this on his mind, Kakashi quickly got out of bed and got ready for the day. He wanted to tell Tsunade that the SOS was a mistake and that the team was alright. Which would also be a great relief to the Hokage, for sure. After he was dressed and after having a quick breakfast, he hurried over to Tsunade’s office, where the blond woman was already waiting for Kakashi’s report. 

“Hatake!” she called when he entered her office. 

He bowed respectfully and stepped closer. “Hokage-sama.”

“Tell me what happened. I presume they are alright, since you didn’t come to me straight after arriving in the village last night?” She asked. He felt that even though she already knew the answer, she was still on the edge. Probably because she was worrying about Naruto and the impending war. Who would hold this against her? There was a lot going on… 

“Hokage-sama, please forgive my late report. You are right, they are fine. The SOS Signal made it to us, because of a mistake. Gai told me that he would be more careful now.” 

Tsunade was nodding as she took in all the information. 

“Naruto?” she simply asked. 

Kakashi felt embarrassed and he was glad that his mask was tightly covering his cheeks. His cheeks were burning, and he didn’t dare to look directly into Tsunade's eyes. 

A dirty smile made it to Tsunade’s lips.  _ That sly little brat. _ She could see the discomfort and panic rise in Kakashi's grey eye, and she had to admit that she sardonically enjoyed it. Tsunade felt the need to make the lazy Jonin squirm a little. Naruto always had a very soft spot in her heart and evoked motherly feelings inside her chest. She wanted to make sure, if Kakashi truly had deep feelings for her Gaki. She smiled at the silver-haired man who was still looking at the floor, like it was the most important and most interesting thing in the world. He held himself stiff and kind of put together, but his whole body was screaming anxiety and unease. 

Tsunade took pity on the Jonin. “You met Naruto didn’t you? Did you two talk?” Looking at Kakashi with a calm and easy smile, Tsunade realized how old she suddenly felt and how much she missed Jiraiya. He would have laughed at the entire situation and would have probably taken the poor man to drink sake… to get some information out of him for a new book… but also to comfort him. She missed his sweet and funny nature. She was bad at such situations. Jiraiya was the one who took care of people. She huffed – but Jiraiya was not here. 

“Hokage-sama!” Kakashi bowed deeply. “Please… let me explain!” 

Tsunade got up from her seat and went around the table to stand in front of her desk. She took a few more steps and gently touched Kakashi's silver hair. “It’s alright.” She withdrew her hand and leaned against her desk. 

Kakashi looked at her and felt his heart in his throat. Now he understood the stories that Asuma told them all when they were younger. When Asuma started dating Kurenai, he met her parents, and he told their little group of friends how nervous he had been about it. Kakashi never understood why someone would be nervous about meeting someone else’s parents – that seemed rather stupid to him at that age. But looking back now, he thought that actually  **he** was the stupid one, because he felt his knees shake and he felt like he might be sick any minute. 

Tsunade smiled. “I knew that Naruto had feelings for you for quite some time. And I have watched you for some time as well. You changed… you know? I remember when you were a boy… you were so depressed and angry all the time. But now,… you are smiling again. Gai is talking to me a lot lately. And he tells me that you are meeting with your friends again and that you are talking a lot about your team… well, let’s be honest, a certain team member.” 

Kakashi was blushing. He clenched his fists and tried not to look at Tsunade. “Is this a psychic evaluation?” 

She laughed. “No! Not at all. I just want to tell you that your friends care so much about you. You are so loved Kakashi.” 

Kakashi felt the heat on his cheeks reach his ears. He slightly nodded – completely embarrassed. “Yes… thank you Hokage-sama.” 

“So, I just wanted to say that I am not the only one who has realized that a certain blond haired and blue eyed shinobi may have you wrapped around his finger. Am I right?” 

Kakashi huffed and snorted amused. He brushed his hand through his hair. “He got me wrapped around his little finger.” 

Tsunade grinned and shook her head. “Haha!” She was laughing as he watched Kakashi's embarrassed reaction. “Well, now that that’s clear. Let’s be honest. You two spoke with each other when you went after them?” 

“Yes, we met and briefly spoke with each other.” He tried to think of an elegant way to get out of this situation. “It was late. We didn’t speak much. I was there only to make sure that everything was alright.” He couldn’t tell Tsunade-sama that he was with Naruto, kissing him, sucking on his tongue, while the blonde was moaning his name and pressing his body against …. NO! BAD KAKASHI! STOP THAT THOUGHT! He needed to stay focused. The Hokage was still looking at him with a knowing smile. He felt himself getting more and more uncomfortable – and he was reading porn in broad daylight! 

“So, you didn’t get to spend much time with each other? I had a feeling that you might have talked a bit longer with Naruto, because you got back to the village so late.” 

He swallowed heavily. “Well, Gai and Yamato wanted to talk to me as well. About the route they would take and safety protocols.” 

“Of course.” She waited a few moments. Tsunade never was one of the most patient people. Even when Jiraiya was still alive he often told her that she would have to work on her patience. But looking back on Jiraiya's words and watching Kakashi fidget in front of her, she decided that working on her patience could wait a little bit longer. She wanted to know now what had happened between her Gaki and the laziest Jonin of Konoha. “Oy, Kakashi, stop this, or I will promote you to Hokage right now!” Her fist came down on her desk and Kakashi watched in horror as the brown wooden desk broke in the middle. He wasn’t quite sure what was scarier, the threat of becoming Hokage or Tsunade breaking his nose again. He could still remember how that felt. “Brat, spill it! What happened between you two?!” 

What a ridiculous amount of strength that woman had. He shuddered. Kakashi knew that he wouldn’t get out of that situation so easily. “I didn’t lie when I said that we talked…” he hesitated. “I… I kissed him… because I love him, Tsunade-sama.” He tightly clenched his fists at his sides, and he felt like he should get ready to be the victim of Tsunade’s punch. He bowed his head and tightly squeezed his eyes shut. 

“I see. And what did he answer you?” She calmly said. Kakashi opened his eyes and straightened up to look into Tsunade’s face. The woman grinned as she leaned against the remains of her desk. “Don’t tell me he said ‘Me too, Dattebayo!’ – “ She laughed. “I can totally see that Baka say that.” 

Kakashi smiled tenderly as he remembered Naruto’s words. He would never forget them. “No. He said that he knows that he’s a danger to our kitchen. Which is true.” Kakashi scratched his neck and a light chuckle escaped him. “And then he told me that he loves me too.” He blushed and he felt his stomach doing funny things again. Thinking about Naruto was making his whole body tingle and his brain was going completely fuzzy. 

“What?! A danger to your kitchen?” Tsunade giggled and watched as Kakashi’s visible face was getting red. “Aha. I see. Well, I guess it is serious between you two then?” She critically watched his reaction. 

“It is for me.” 

“Good. I never had any children of my own, but since I met Naruto … I…” her sentence ended abruptly. “I don’t want him to get hurt. He is more fragile than he looks. But I don’t want you to get hurt either. I want you to be sure of this.” When she was right in front of him her hand reached for his shoulder. “War is a cruel thing. I am sorry that I have brought you in this potion, Kakashi.” 

She was very well aware that in times of war anything could happen. Friends could go to war together and not everyone might come back. She had lived through that. She had lost all her loved ones. She had lost her lover, her brother and now even Jiraiya was dead. As she looked into the stormy grey eye in front of her she saw so much of her own pain reflect back at her that it almost broke her heart. Kakashi was still so young and she was so happy that even though he lived through so much pain and suffering he was still able to finally open up his heart again. 

“I am well aware of the risks. I know that I might not make it back this time. Not many shinobi are lucky enough to survive fighting in two wars. But I am not only fighting in this war because I have to… I am fighting to protect the one I love.” 

She nodded and smiled sadly. “Of course.” She gently squeezed his shoulder. 

“Tsunade-sama… If I don’t make it back…Would you tell him that I don’t have any regrets. I was able to meet him and live with him for a short amount of time. To hear him say that he loves me, still makes me so incredibly happy. I would have fought the Akatsuki, Madara or any enemy there was to protect him. So, if I really should fall… tell him that I did all of this just for him. Because I love him, more than anything in this world. I wish I could tell him myself, but I am glad that Gai and the other guys are taking him somewhere safe where the Akatsuki can’t reach him.” 

Tsunade fell quite and simply nodded. 

Kakashi turned around and went to leave the office. 

“You better get back and tell him that yourself!” She yelled at the Jonin shortly before he left her office. 

“Yes. Hokage-sama.”

“Go home… Get ready. We have to leave soon. We have to take the troops to the front soon.” 

He nodded dutifully and left the office. 

***


	17. My way back to you - part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto realizes everything that is going on outside when he stepped outside the waterfall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just can’t stop writing. XD  
> Ikimono Gakari - Koisuru Otome  
> I was listening to this song while writing Narutos parts.
> 
> Thank you, riversmoon416, for your sweet and encouraging comments! love you. :)   
> This chapter is for you.
> 
> Gai-Sensei is awesome, and so are kudos and comments <3

Naruto went outside to catch some fresh air after training nonstop with Bee. He didn’t understand why everybody stopped him from going outside. He just wanted a little bit fresh air, Dattebayo! He moved around the old ruins of the temple and when he reached the waterfall, he saw a few familiar faces. “Naruto. Please go back to your training-room.” Shino's dad calmly told him. Behind him stood some Hyuga, Nara and Akimichi shinobi. 

Naruto watched him confused. “What? I just wanted to take a short walk outside. Please let me through.” 

“We are sorry. That is not possible.” 

Naruto scrunched up his nose. “And WHY is it not possible?” He was getting irritated. “Let me go outside!” 

“Let me take care of this.” A familiar, nice, and calm voice from behind the Nara shinobi. Naruto’s face immediately brightened up and he raced towards the tall figure of his Sensei. “Iruka-Sensei!” He yelled and jumped into the waiting arms of the brown-haired man. “Haha! Naruto-kun!” He fondly touched the blond head and hugged the younger shinobi close. “What are you doing here Sensei? I am so glad to see you!” He smiled and tightly hugged the taller man before pulling away to look into Iruka’s brown eyes.

“We were sent here to investigate some dangerous animal. Please don’t worry Naruto. Just go back to Bee-san.” 

Now Naruto knew that something was wrong. Of course the animals on this island were dangerous, but Bee had them under control, that was what Motoi told them when they arrived here. There must be something wrong, something that Naruto was not allowed to know about. Iruka would never lie to him – only if it was absolutely necessary. He gritted his teeth and called upon the natural energy around him. The Sage energy filled his body and he quickly moved towards the group of shinobi that were guarding the entrance. Two Akimichi shinobi were sprinting towards him and were trying to keep him from exiting the cave, but in Sage-Mode Naruto was just too strong and he easily pushed them aside. He jumped through the waterfall and landed on the soft grass. The sun was shining in his face and a soft breeze was caressing his skin. 

Suddenly he felt turmoil all around him. Gai-san and Aoba had left the island. He felt many thousand different Chakra-Signatures moving towards the Shores of Sunagakure. What the hell was happening?! He was catching his breath when he felt the Chakra-Signatures of his friends, Shikamaru, Sakura running there as well. The images of many wounded people came crashing in on him. What was happening? Kakashi… He felt Kakashi's Chakra-Signature there! 

Iruka came after him and watched as Naruto realized that the shinobi world was drowning in war. 

“What is going on? Why did nobody tell me about this?” 

Shino's dad stepped in front of Iruka and tried to stop him. “What are you doing, Iruka?” 

“I am sorry, but I think it would be better to tell Naruto the truth. He has already felt it anyhow in Sage-Mode.” 

The Aburame-leader looked at the Teacher in defiance and stepped away, making room for Iruka. Iruka nodded and walked over to where Naruto was still fuming. Their angry gazes met and Iruka told him about the war that Madara started. “We wanted to protect you. This war is about you. You understand it, right? The Akatsuki want to kill the Jinchuriki… Tsunade-sama only sent you here to protect you.” 

Narutos heart was racing with anger and fear. How could they send him here and not tell him anything?! How could Kakashi not tell him anything?! Kakashi lied to him and now he was on some battlefield far away fighting against the Akatsuki! He was fuming. They just saw each other a few weeks ago and Kakashi spoke like they would see each other again soon and then everything would be like it was before, not like he would be marching into some war! 

“Did none of you think that I might have a right to know? Did any of you think about how this might make me feel? All of my friends are fighting in this war and everyone that I love is risking their lives. What if they die? What about Sakura-chan and Shikamaru and Gai-Sensei and what about Kakashi!!!” His voice was getting louder and at the end Naruto was screaming. He felt so angry with Kakashi and with the entire situation. He felt desperate. What if something happened to Kakashi! He couldn’t think clearly anymore. 

He needed to be with him.

He needed to leave. 

Now.

Iruka stared at Naruto. He understood the anger very well. “The people in this war are fighting to protect you. Madara wants the Kyuubi and the Hachibi to finish his plan and that could mean the end of the world as we know it. Everybody who is fighting today is fighting to protect you and this word. The Kyuubi is sealed inside you and that is why it is best if you calm yourself and stay here. Where it is safe.” 

Naruto’s emotions were rising high. He was already desperate to leave. He wanted to run to the place where Kakashi was and make sure that the man he loved was alright. He felt people were getting hurt and he wanted to help them. He felt the Chakra-Signatures of his friends. They were hurt and tired. He needed to be with them and protect them. What the hell was he still doing here!? Iruka-Sensei was only talking about that stupid fox. This was driving him crazy. It was always about the Kyuubi, the seal and training to control the Kyuubi. Everything was always about that fox! Until now he felt like Iruka might actually see HIM and didn’t care about the Kyuubi… “Why are you only talking about the Kyuubi? You were the first person who accepted me and now all you care about is the Kyuubi! You gave me your Hitai-ate, that meant so much to me Iruka-Sensei!”

“Are you stupid?” Iruka shouted. “Don’t be childish. I care so much about you! I don’t want you to get hurt!”

“I have changed. I am stronger now!”

Naruto’s Hitai-ate lay on the ground as he dropped it when he ran outside. The waves of the waterfall had pulled it from his head. Iruka picked up the Hitai-ate and slowly walked over to the blond. He remembered the night he gave this to Naruto. He narrowed his eyes and stopped in front of Naruto. He gave the Konoha Hitai-ate back to his owner.

“I am sorry. I can’t let you go.” 

When the Chakra of the Kyuubi suddenly engulfed Naruto’s whole body, everyone was gasping. It was an enormous amount of Chakra that was suddenly all around and inside Naruto. Iruka watched the yellow-orange Chakra glowing all over Naruto’s body. “I told you, I am strong. I am sorry, Iruka-Sensei, but I can’t stay here. There is someone that I love more than anything, and I need to protect him. I need to go and be with him. – I am sorry.” 

The Aburame leader tried again to hold Naruto with his Insects, but that wasn’t working. Naruto broke free and jumped over the tree line to race towards the shore.

Iruka was perplexed. Not only because Naruto seemed to be able to control the Bijuu-Chakra, but also because he was able to break free from the Aburame Insects and… much more important than all of that…because there seemed to be someone who stole Naruto’s heart? 

_ How could I have missed that? Why didn’t he tell me? He usually tells me EVERYTHING!! Did Naruto really say HE? It’s a guy?  _

Iruka started stressing out about the implications of the short sentence and tried to decide how to feel about that. First of all, he had to figure out who that guy was. Then he had to find out if he approved of him or not. He would definitely hunt that guy down and give him an earful on how to treat Naruto. But…  _ Who was it? _ Maybe it was Shikamaru. They spend much time together. Or Sai? Iruka was thinking about all of Naruto’s friends who could possibly be Naruto’s love interests. “Aaaaarg!!” he screamed and ruffled his hair. “Why didn’t he tell me about this!?”    
The Aburame, Nara and Hyuga shinobi watched the Academy teacher with confused expressions. “Iruka we are heading to the barrier-team. Maybe they can hold off Naruto!” 

“Ah, yes. Of course.” He watched the others race after Naruto. He was sure that Naruto would even break through a barrier if necessary. He smiled and shook his head. The waterfall parted again, and Killer Bee-san walked through the crashing waves. He came right up to him and looked at the brown-haired man. 

“He left, didn’t he?” 

“Yes. Excuse me, but,… You are Killer Bee-san, right?” 

Bee nodded. “I am.” 

Iruka grinned awkwardly. Bee-san’s rap was a little confusing. He bowed his head deeply to show his respect for the older man. “I am begging you, Bee-san, please protect Naruto! He may be loud and a little thick sometimes, but he is a good kid.” 

Bee made him look up and they greeted each other again with Bee bumping his fist with Iruka. He immediately understood. He smiled. “I know you. I have seen you in Naruto’s heart. You are very important to him.”

Tears were gathering in Iruka's eyes and he felt the first tear slowly escaping his eye and slowly running down his red cheek. “I am in his heart?”

“He wouldn’t be who he was without you. You should be proud. Yo.” The Jinchuriki of the Hachibi rapped and pointed his hand at Iruka. “I will go with him and keep an eye on Naruto.”

The teacher bowed deeply “Thank you, Killer Bee-san.”

**

Naruto raced through the woods and wanted to put his Hitai-ate back where it belongs, when he realized that Iruka-Sensei had put a letter beneath the Konoha plate. He pulled the small paper out and started reading it. 

_ ‘Naruto, I know that you want to run to the battlefield as fast as you can. I know your determination and your endless love for your friends will lead you there. If you read this letter, I know that I was not able to keep you on the island, like Tsunade-sama has ordered me to. When Tsunade-sama gave me the order to keep you there, I was already writing this letter, just in case I should fail. I don’t know if I will be able to give this letter to you in person, but I wanted you to have this, to make you remember how much I care about you. You are like a little brother to me and now that you are gone and on the way to this dangerous fight, I want you to always remember, you must come back alive! Iruka. _

Naruto read the few lines that were in Iruka’s elegant handwriting. He pulled the Hitai-ate back on and stored the treasured letter safely away in his jacket. He would return alive and definitely not without Kakashi. Dattebayo!

When he drew closer to the cliffs, he felt another huge Chakra close in on him. “Bee!” Naruto screamed in joy. 

“Yo! Naruto! I am coming with you.” 

**


	18. My way back to you – Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto is finally on his way to the battlefield.  
> Bee and Naruto are being held up by Tsunade and the Raikage.  
> Naruto is getting nervous because he can feel Kakashi's Chakra close by.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry that this update took so long.. but things are pretty crazy right now…  
> I will update more often now, since we are in Lockdown again... :(  
> Let’s stay inside and read and write lots of KakaNaru Fanfictions!  
> #KakaNaruLockdown2020

Naruto and Bee were running through Sunas stony landscape. Naruto always tried to keep track of Kakashi’s Chakra Signature. They were quiet while they were running. Both were too focused on getting to the battlefield as fast as possible. Naruto could only think about Kakashi. He was glad that Bee decided to come with him. “Thank you, Bee, for coming with me.”

The older shinobi started to rap again, and Naruto laughed. They would arrive soon enough, and he was glad about that amicable and light atmosphere – as long as it may last, right? Before he left Iruka on the island he felt many of his friends were wounded or in critical condition. “We have to hurry, Bee!” He called over to his companion and they picked up their speed.

*

They reached a small valley and just wanted to hurry along, because they were getting closer and closer to the actual fighting places. Naruto could feel Gaara’s Chakra close by and he was getting a little restless, when he felt Gaara’s Chakra spike up. That would mean that his friend was already engaging in a battle! He tried to concentrate on localizing his other friends as well. Maybe Kakashi was also close by. His heart made a jump when he felt Kakashi’s Chakra several kilometers away.

“I felt Kakashi’s Chakra!” He yelled.

“Is your lover-boy alright? Yo?” Bee was rapping and pointing into the direction where they were heading.

“He is too far away...I am not sure! But his Chakra seems alright and I felt Gai-Sensei with him! That is a good sign!” Naruto smiled and exhaled relieved. Gai-Sensei would look after Kakashi, he was sure about that. Dattebayo!

Just in that moment another strong Chakra was rushing towards them. They had to stop abruptly and fall back before the Raikage’s punch hit them. Naruto screamed in shock, when the Raikage attacked. Naruto didn’t linger too long - he rushed forward again and tried to run past the enraged Raikage.

“What the hell do you think you are doing here?!” He yelled and concentrated his Chakra to push Naruto back again. The Raikage wasn’t alone. Tsunade stood behind him and watched. She felt conflicted. As Godaime Hokage she had to make sure that Naruto and everybody from her village was safe, but as a woman and as a shinobi she understood his desire to join his friends and loved ones in this fight. She registered his angry glances that he flashed towards her.

“Let me through!” Naruto shouted.

“Silence! We are fighting this war to protect you two!”

“Do you know how many times I have heard that by now? I don’t want anybody to risk their lives for me! If this war is about the Jinchuriki and the Bijuu, then I want to be with my friends! Let me fight with them. Let me protect them!”

“If you know what this war is about, why do you wish to go?” The Raikage was enraged and Tsunade saw his shoulders shake with suppressed anger.

Naruto gritted his teeth. He thought about Kakashi. He could feel his Chakra getting weaker. Was he alright? Was Gai-Sensei still with him? He was getting restless and nervous. “Baa-chan! Why are you not saying anything?! I can’t stand it! I need to go! You know that I need to be with him!” Bee, Tsunade and the Raikage gaped at Naruto’s emotional outburst. Naruto fell on his knees and the Raikage felt a sense of nostalgia. He remembered a very similar scene not too long ago when Naruto was in front of him on his knees begging for the life of the traitor. He watched the young shinobi and thought how much Naruto has changed. Now he begged to be with his friends on the battlefield to fight for their world.

“I can’t let them die! It is because they are protecting all of us, that I want to help them. Please let me protect my friends! I don’t want to see the people I love die!” Naruto felt the hard stones drill into his knees and his hands, but he didn’t care. The cool night air was blowing over Naruto’s skin. He lowered his head and squeezed his eyes shut. He asked himself why it always had to be the Raikage that brought him in such undignified positions. His fingers dug in the sandy ground and he felt small stones scrape up his skin.

“No. We believe that it’s better than the world ending. Because that is what Madara wants. We are fighting to prevent that!”

“Is that what you are thinking too, Baa-chan?” Tsunade couldn’t look into Naruto’s eyes. She knew that she would see his pain and his disappointment. But she had to think as Hokage and her duty as Hokage was to protect the village and all of her people. “I am sorry Naruto. As Kage, we have to decide what is best for everybody.”

Naruto growled. “You sent them into this war! YOU SENT KAKASHI INTO THIS WAR!! Nobody told me! How could you think that I would just sit by and do nothing?!”

Tsunade remembered the talk she had with Kakashi just before they left the village. Should she really tell Naruto what the Jonin told her? She felt frustrated and angry. Of course, Naruto would feel hurt because nobody told him, she knew that sooner or later he would have found out about all of this. “I am not that kind of a guy!” he screamed.

Tsunade groaned. Of course, she knew that! She stepped in front of the Raikage and glared at the blond shinobi. “Everybody knew what would happen. We were preparing for this for months. I have to apologize to you. I was afraid if I told you what was going on, that you would run straight into danger. I sent Iruka to talk to you, because I was hoping that you might listen to him. You are so important to many people… For me and Iruka and Kakashi, this war is not about protecting a Jinchuriki - It is about protecting our family and protecting someone we love.” Her voice cracked. “I wasn’t sure if I should tell you this right now – but I need you to understand something, before Kakashi left the village, he told me something.”

Naruto stared at her. He was still kneeling at the ground and his fists were clenched so tightly that his knuckles were turning white. His nails were digging into his sweaty palms. His bright blue eyes were watching Tsunade’s every move. The atmosphere was tense which only added to his nervousness.

She finally looked at Naruto’s face and their eyes met. She smiled at him sadly. “He told me about you two and that you met that night on the ship. He wanted me to tell you something in case something happens to him. I am going to tell you this now, … He would have fought the Akatsuki, Madara or any enemy there was to protect you. He is fighting for you, Naruto. Because Kakashi loves you – so much. Do you understand? He wouldn’t want you risking your life simply because you want to fight. Kakashi wants you to live!”

Naruto's eyes were welling up and he felt tears obscuring his sight. How could he do this? How could Kakashi tell Baa-chan something like that and simply leave him behind?! How could Kakashi tell him that he loved him, kiss him and not tell him what the fuck was going on?! The first angry tears were starting to run down his cheeks. An angry and pitiful sob made it out of his mouth. What the fuck did Kakashi think anyway? Did he really think that he would sit down and wait this one out? He choked on his sob and felt the frustration ebb down. No. he would show them that he wouldn’t sit by while his boyfriend was on some battlefield, probably overusing his Sharingan…  _ again _ ! He felt the others watching him as he angrily brushed over his teary eyes and his nose. He got up and looked at the Raikage and Tsunade.

“Tsunade-baa-chan. Thank you for telling me. But I just can’t stay here. I am sorry. I need to go! You know that I need to be with him right now, don’t you? You told me about Dan and Ero-Sennin. I can’t lose Kakashi …” His eyes were pleading.

The Raikage watched Tsunade and he realized that she wanted to let Naruto go. He had to intervene. “I can’t let you go!” He screamed and attacked the blond again. Naruto jumped and was able to reach a safe distance. Tsunade watched in horror as the Raikage attacked again and again, with serious intent to take Naruto down. “If necessary, I will kill the Jinchuriki to save this world!”

Bee was joining the fight and was able to knock his brother to the ground which gave them a moment to catch their breaths. “We are not only Jinchuriki, brother. Before that we are human beings, and inside me there’s something, a power, like the sun, that let’s me control the Bijuu. That is my true strength. I saw that Naruto has the same strength, just much stronger!”

The Raikage stood and straightened up. He watched the young man in front of him with a scrutinizing gaze. “Tell me Naruto, what is your sun?”

Naruto smiled. “My parents and Kakashi. I hold them right here.” He pointed at his heart. Tsunade gaped.  _ Kushina and Minato?  _

“The Yondaime and Uzumaki Kushina? They are dead.”

“You are right, my parents are dead, but my dad was able to seal some of their Chakra into my sealing, so I was able to meet them.” He was grinning happily at the Raikages and Tsunade’s perplexed faces. “Kakashi is the most important person to me,… so of course I hold him in my heart too… Dattebayo!” He felt exposed and embarrassed. His cheeks were burning when he realized that Bee, the Raikage and Tsunade were watching him.

“Were you able to speak with Minato and Kushina?” Tsunade asked carefully.

“Yes! Mom was really pretty and Dad was super cool!” He laughed. “Dad also told me something important about the night the village was attacked. He said that the attack was staged by a masked man. It was also that guy with the mask who brought the Kyuubi under his control and killed my parents.”

Tsunade tried to take all that information in.  _ Was it Madara?! _

The Raikage groaned. He would feel better if his brother and Naruto would leave the scene and go back to the island. But he was sure that it would be practically impossible with Naruto. When he looked at the young man, he saw courage and determination. No – Naruto wouldn’t budge. Also, now that he knew that the Jinchuriki was in love with the copy-ninja from Konoha he was sure that Naruto would do anything to get to the battle. He was a little perplexed to say the least, that it was the copy-ninja that made the Jinchurikis heart jump. But on the other hand, it was a very good match, Tsunade loved this kid and talked highly of him and it seemed that Hatake Kakashi was a candidate for the Hokage seat in the near future. The Raikage watched Naruto close. He saw that same determination when Naruto begged for the traitor’s life, but now there was an intensity and passion in Naruto’s eyes that made it clear that he wouldn’t leave. He wouldn’t take no for an answer. The Raikage looked over to where Tsunade stood. Their eyes met in a silent understanding. He moved towards Naruto and with a quick attack, that Naruto was easily able to dodge, he made it clear that he wouldn’t keep Naruto here any longer. “There was only one other shinobi who was quick enough to dodge my attacks… You are very much like the Yondaime. – I won’t keep you. Go.”

Naruto gaped at the Raikage for a second before looking at Tsunade for confirmation. “Is it true? I can leave?”

She nodded. “I know that I can’t keep you away from Kakashi anyway. But you must promise me to be careful.”

He nodded eagerly. “I promise! Baa-chan!” He rushed towards the blond woman and embraced her in a crushing hug. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders. “Go. Find Kakashi.”

“Yes!” He stepped away from her and smiled. “Baa-chan, you have to find Gaara! When we came here, I felt his Chakra and I think that he might be in trouble!”

Tsunade immediately looked worried and her gaze fell on her fellow Kage. “We will take care of this.” he nodded to confirm the statement.

Naruto grinned and turned around. “Thank you Baa-chan and Raikage! I have to go now!” With that Naruto rushed away, eager to finally be with Kakashi again.

*

*

Truth to be told, Kakashi hoped for some kind of wonder. The situation was bad, and it seemed like it couldn’t get much worse. They were hiding in the woods and were trying to find out more about their enemy, which was kinda hard if you consider that they were fighting against dead shinobi. The Edo-Tensei was as effective and horrible as ever. Using the Sharingan was necessary, but it was such a drain on his Chakra reserves.

Gai had finally made it to Kakashi’s group and it seemed like he just made it in time. When nighttime fell over the group Kakashi told everyone to rest and save their Chakra. Kakashi himself made sure that everyone in the troops was alright and that even Gai and Lee, with their endless amount of enthusiasm, were resting.

It was dawn when Kakashi and Gai heard the first screams and they knew that their short rest would be over. The attack was imminent, and they had to regroup. Kakashi was trying to find out what the enemy would do and if they were using guerrilla warfare tactics. He evaluated their strategy and what they could use to their advantages. Kakashi was sure that the enemy wanted the alliance to split up in an attempt to take them down, but he was sure that they could only do that if they regrouped and fought together.

“What should we do?” Gai asked as he watched his friend.

“We need to regroup. Send a message to each team. Tell them that they need to be careful and that they need to work together with at least two more teams!”

“I understand. What will you do?”

“I am worried about the squads behind us. If I were the enemy, I would use this confusion to cut them off from us and kill them. I need to go and find them. Lee! Sai! Let’s go!” Kakashi called for the two young shinobi and rushed to help the rest of his troops.

Gai didn’t like letting Kakashi go but he nodded and saluted his friend. He watched Kakashi jump over the tree line and race away. Gai was sure that Lee and Sai would help his Eternal Rival. He turned around and started barking orders to his fellow shinobi who were ready to face the enemy. Sai and Lee who were standing behind Gai were moving quickly to follow the silver-haired man.

“Gai-Sensei, I am leaving!” Lee called and raced after Kakashi.

*

Kakashi saw that he was too late to save everybody. He already saw some dead bodies scattered on the earthy ground. There was blood mixing with the dirt and Kakashi tried not to look at the dead faces.

“It’s Kakashi-Taicho!” He heard some of the men say. “We are saved!” Another called.

He stood between his comrades and the swordsman of the mist and Kakashi was ready to do anything in his power to protect his comrades. Blocking the attacks of his enemies was getting tedious. He felt the enormous power with which his opponent was wielding his huge sword. Kakashi was panting and he felt the strain of fighting with his Sharingan for such a long time weighing on him. He couldn’t let his people down now. Sai needed more time to prepare his sealing technique.

In the meantime, Sai was trying to prepare his sealing Jutsu. Lee was standing in front of him and made sure that no danger made it to the other man.

Kakashi was getting restless. He hoped that Sai would be ready soon. He groaned as he tried to gain the higher ground. “Your defense is weak.” Kakashi growled. He could feel a surge of adrenaline and with his Raikiri the reanimated shinobi was cut into pieces. The men started to cheer behind him, but their applause was only short lived because the fallen shinobi started to knit together again. Kakashi called for Ensui, a Nara shinobi who was in his troop and who immediately ran to his side.

“Hold him down as long as you can. Sai? Are you ready?” he looked over to the black-haired man who was not yet ready to start his sealing Jutsu. It seemed like Kakashi couldn’t catch a break. There was a hissing noise and suddenly a scream pulled him out of his thoughts. Another Edo-Tensei Reanimation jumped into the scene.

“Someone’s coming!” Ensui yelled.

“It’s that explosive style user!” Rock Lee yelled in shock and was getting ready to protect Sai.

Kakashi groaned. Now would be a good time for that wonder. He concentrated his Chakra and got ready to counter his attack. “Lee! Get down! You have to protect Sai!” Chakra was flowing through his body and the lighting Chakra was focusing on his right hand. He watched how Lee moved out of the line of attack from the enemy shinobi. With brutal force he slammed his fist into the ground and made it explode. Ensui was pushed away by the sheer force of the explosion. Suddenly there was a second crash or explosion – Kakashi wasn’t sure what it was. It was loud and everything seemed to escalate very quickly. Because the enemy slammed his fist into the rocky ground again and again and suddenly there were explosions everywhere and Kakashi wasn’t able to see anything.

“Lee?! Sai?!” He called for his comrades.

“Kakashi-san!” That was Lee. Kakashi took a deep breath. At least Lee was alright, which would mean that Sai was alright too. But what was going on? Maybe Gai and reinforcements? He tried to see anything, but it was useless.

“Lee! Sai! Are you alright?” He called again.

“Yes, but what is going on?” Sai’s worried voice sounded muffled through all the explosions, the screamings, and the dust.

Suddenly the explosions stopped and through all the dust a blue light was shining brightly for everyone to see. Kakashi gasped when he saw the blue ball burning so bright through all the chaos.

**“RASENGAN!”**

The cover of dust slowly sank and Kakashi could only stare at bright blond hair and an orange jacket. Lee on the other hand didn’t even try to hide his enthusiasm and his happiness to see Naruto. “Naruto-kun! You are here my friend!” he raced towards the blond and they hugged in their usual friendly manner.

“Haha, well it wasn’t that easy to get here, but I told Baa-chan and the Raikage that nothing would keep me away from my friends! Dattebayo!”

“Naruto-kuuun!! I feel the youthful spirit burning so bright in you my friend!” Lee grabbed his shoulders and enthusiastically hugged him. Naruto laughed and looked around.

Their eyes finally met and Kakashi clenched his fists. He tried to calm his racing heart as he watched the blue eyes stare into his own. Kakashi's feelings were all over the place. He tried to focus on the problem at hand, because even though Naruto's Rasengan had destroyed the two enemies, they were already starting to knit together again. He was hoping that Sai would be ready soon to seal them. He looked at him and saw that Sai was still fighting with the repercussions of the sealing Jutsu. The ink was bleeding from his eyes and his hands were shaking. He wanted to wrap his arms around Naruto too. He was happy to see him, but on the other hand he felt angry that Naruto came here. Why didn’t he stay on that damn island, where it would be safe for him?!

“I am afraid that we will have to do this later guys. We have a problem here. Sai, now would be a good time for that sealing Jutsu!”

Naruto looked at Kakashi and tried to take in as much information as possible. He rushed to the place where he felt Kakashi’s Chakra. When he felt his Chakra getting weaker, he ran as fast as he could. He didn’t think twice when he felt two huge Chakra signatures closing in on Kakashi, he just jumped into the fight and tried to take them down with his Rasengan.

Kakashi and Naruto were getting into fighting stances while Lee was positioning himself in front of Sai again to protect the other man again. Everybody was watching as the bodies were knitting together again.

“What are you doing here?” Kakashi hissed while he was focusing his Chakra in his hand until the lightning Chakra was humming and crackling around his fingers.

“What  _ AM I DOING _ here? Are you sure that is the right question to ask me right now?” Naruto was moving closer to Kakashi to deck his flank. He was calling onto the natural energy around him and slipped into Sage-Mode.

Kakashi felt the subtle shift in Naruto’s Chakra and groaned when Naruto hissed at him angrily.  _ Seems like I am in trouble? _

“I wanted to tell you. In fact, I wanted to tell you that night when Tsunade made the decision to send you away and she made me pick the team.”

While they almost casually started their conversation, the enemy shinobi started their attack again. Naruto felt so pumped with adrenaline, happiness and love, because – finally – he was with Kakashi again, but he was angry and desperate too, because he immediately realized that their enemy was controlled by an Edo-Tensei and Kakashi’s Chakra reserves were low. He had to act quickly. Naruto kicked the reanimated explosive user into the ground. “Why didn’t you?” His emotions were running wild and he punched the explosive user in the face. “Why didn’t you tell me? Why did you lie to me, Kakashi?”

Kakashi pushed the swordsman down with his own body weight and moaned in pain when his Raikiri cut through the reanimation. In his peripheral view he saw that Naruto also was successful in taking down the enemy. That last attack took a lot of Chakra and he was still using his Sharingan. “Sai! Now would be ideal!” Kakashi yelled. Suddenly they were surrounded with two huge tigers who were grabbing the Edo-Tensei Reanimations and pulled them into the scroll to seal them there. Kakashi watched as the tigers pulled them into the painting. He turned to look into furious blue eyes that were fixed on him. Behind him he heard Lee praise Sai,…  _ Well, at least I can focus on Naruto now. _ As he took the first careful steps to get closer to Naruto, he felt his whole body shiver. “I never lied to you. Tsunade made me keep it a secret. I wasn’t allowed to tell you anything. I wanted to tell you… I never wanted to keep this from you, but to be honest with you, I wish you never found out and stayed on the island, because –“

Naruto didn’t let him finish. “What?!” he ruffled his blond hair which already looked wild and disheveled. “How can you say something like that?! Do you think that you can simply tell me that you love me, kiss me and then walk into some war without me finding out where you go?!” Naruto furiously yelled at the silver-haired man, completely disregarding that other people were still close enough to listen to their conversation.

“Naruto… I never wanted to have secrets from you. I only wanted to protect you!” He stepped closer and gently but firmly grabbed his shoulders. “Why did you come here? Tsunade-sama must have told you how dangerous this is and who we are fighting against.”

Naruto gritted his teeth. He reached for Kakashi’s jacket and squeezed it between his fingers. “I talked to Baa-chan and the Raikage. I had to beg them to let me come here… She told me what you told her, in case…” He couldn’t finish that sentence. Naruto bit his lip and with a serious and desperate face he looked at Kakashi. He wrapped his arms around Kakashi and pressed his face into Kakashi’s shoulder. He didn’t care anymore who was watching them. He needed Kakashi now. He needed to feel Kakashi’s body close to him. “I love you, and I don’t want to be separated from you. Not by any country, border, enemy, war or anything else. Wherever you go, I go! We belong together! Dattebayo!”

Kakashi also wrapped his arms tightly around Naruto’s body and let his tired frame gently lean against Naruto’s strong torso. He felt Naruto’s warm arms wrapped around his waist and he felt safe enough to close his tired eyes for a moment. His hands gently moved across Naruto’s shoulders and his neck. He brushed his fingers through the soft strands of blond hair. Naruto’s scent was all around him and he just realized how much he missed him.

“I just wanted to protect you.” He whispered into the wild locks.

“I know.”

“I love you, Naruto.”

“I am still angry with you, Kakashi...”

“Mah, Mah…” Kakakshi chuckled. “I know.”

They stood like this for a moment longer until Kakashi pulled away to look at Naruto. He brushed his fingers gently over Naruto’s cheeks. He took in a deep breath and smiled. “I should be angry with you, you know? You really shouldn’t be here.”

Naruto leaned into Kakashi’s gentle touch and smiled sweetly at the other man. “Pff… As if I would let you go into this damn war alone. I can feel that you have overused the Sharingan again, Bakakashi.” His hands were still tightly grasping the green jacket.

"Where is Bee-san?"

“Bee is on his way. He should be here soon. I was running to get to you.” With soft and loving eyes he looked at the silver-haired man. 

Kakashi scratched his neck. He may have overused his Sharingan a little bit, but right now wasn’t the time to think about that. Just now, Kakashi realized that they actually weren’t alone. Ensui, Sai, Lee and some other shinobi were still gathered around the fighting scene. He could feel their gazes burning into his back. Naruto was still clinging to him and he was also holding the young man rather close to his body. He coughed and pulled away from Naruto, who looked at him with a confused expression.

“What’s wrong?”

“Well… We aren’t alone if you haven’t realized?”

“I have. I just don’t care. I love you and don’t care what anybody else thinks. I want to be by your side, ’tebayo!”

Kakashi felt himself blush and he was glad that his mask was hiding his burning cheeks. He bit his lips as he reached for Naruto’s hand. He squeezed the fingers tightly. “Me too..” He mumbled embarrassed and looked at the blond with a tender gaze. Even though this war was all around them he was glad that Naruto was with him. He leaned his forehead against Naruto's. “Whatever is going to happen, I love you too. Forever.”

***


	19. Love in times of war – part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The war is building up fast, but let’s slow down a little.  
> Give Naruto a moment with his friends and .... with Kakashi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is just a little build up and to show some time between Naruto and his friends  
> Also some sweet love between Kakashi and Naruto, because they need it. :)  
> I want to thank everyone who left comments and kudos! I LOVE YOU :)

Kakashi was glad when nobody greatly commented on their emotional meeting. It seemed like everybody understood that what was going on between Naruto and Kakashi was private. He really appreciated that. They regrouped and together with Naruto, they decided to move out and hunt down the remaining members of the seven swordsmen. Kakashi led them deeper into the woods. They would soon be closer to the enemy.

**Kid. Listen.**

Naruto was surprised to hear the Kyuubi talk to him at such a time. 

_ What is it, Kyuubi? _

**Your mate is exhausted and if you go into a fight right now, I don’t think he will make it.**

_ Excuse me? My… what now? _

Naruto was blushing hard. The Kyuubi was talking about Kakashi again, but that term was making his cheeks burn.

**Whatever kid, but you should really make him rest. His Chakra is low. He exhausted his Sharingan. I can help you.**

Naruto slowed down. He wasn’t sure if he should trust the Kyuubi, but he wanted to protect Kakashi and if the Kyuubi could help him with that, he would take the risk.

_ You can?  _

**Yes.**

_ How?  _

**You can use my Chakra to heal him.**

Kakashi realized that Naruto was slowing down. They were racing through the trees and he stopped just a few meters in front of Naruto. The other shinobi came to a halt as well when they saw Kakashi signal them to wait.

“Naruto? What’s wrong?” 

Naruto stopped close to Kakashi and looked at him with a worried and curious expression. He concentrated on the glowing Chakra of the Kyuubi that was swirling inside him and soon it was surrounding his whole body. 

_ Tell me what I need to do.  _

Kakashi gaped at Naruto. He didn’t know that Naruto was able to control the Kyuubi Chakra like this, and to see Naruto control it so easily now, while remembering how much his cute little Genin once struggled with simple Chakra control exercises, made him very proud. 

“Kakashi, I think we should rest for a moment. I was just talking to the Kyuubi and –“ 

“You were doing what?!” Ensui looked at the blond shinobi in front of him with a tight and worried expression. He wasn’t so sure about all of this. Maybe Kakashi trusted Naruto because he was blinded by love and all that, but talking with the Kyuubi? No, that wasn’t good! That was not what he signed up for. “Are you sure that’s good? Talking with the fox?” 

Kakashi clenched his fists. “Ensui. Let him finish. Naruto, tell me what the Kyuubi said.” 

Naruto felt unsure all of a sudden. He suddenly remembered the talk he had with the Kyuubi on board the ship. ***** **_You have no idea how ugly humans can be.*_ ** But when he remembered his own childhood and the loneliness, he had suffered… He knew everything about the ugliness of people. He knew everything about the cruelty and the darkness in people’s hearts. But he wasn’t lonely anymore and he felt Kakashi’s love deep in his heart. When he looked into Kakashi’s eyes he knew that everything would be alright. 

_ Will it be alright though?  _

**We will see…**

The dark voice of the Kyuubi rumbled from deep within him. It made his insides burn and itch. He was sure that the Kyuubi was helping him for a reason and that he wasn’t mean and bad, like everybody said. Why else would he tell him to be careful and make sure that Kakashi was alright? Naruto felt like the fox was looking out for him for some reason. Kakashi was the most important person in his heart, the Kyuubi knew that and he helped him to keep him safe… he would find out what all that was about. 

“Your Chakra is too low to go into battle right now. Let me heal you. The Kyuubi showed me how to do that.” 

It was true that his Chakra was low and that he felt a little insecure about jumping into the next fight right now, but he was surprised that Naruto felt it. He was confused about the fact that Naruto wanted to  _ heal _ him, because Naruto never went into any kind of medical training. It also worried him a little bit that the Kyuubi seemed to talk to Naruto, which had to be addressed sooner or later. 

“The Kyuubi told you how to do that?” He asked carefully and jumped from the branch he was standing on to get closer to Naruto. Naruto was currently waiting on the soft green grass and was staring up into Kakashi’s masked face. The other shinobi of their group also jumped down and stood close around Naruto and Kakashi. 

“Yes.” He answered slowly. “He did. I just want to help you. You trust me, don’t you?” 

It was silent all of a sudden and everybody was staring at Kakashi. Everybody was waiting for his reaction. 

The copy-nin looked at Naruto and was calculating his next move. Of course he trusted Naruto. He was just worried about the Kyuubi. But if he pulled away now, it would show Naruto that he didn’t trust him enough for this… and he had two problems. A. He was low on Chakra and their enemy was not far away and B. Naruto probably was still hurt about the secrets he kept from him. He huffed and moved closer to Naruto. “I really want to talk about all of this ‘you and the Kyuubi talk now’-thing, but right now we don’t have the time. You are right though… I overused my Sharingan and I am low on Chakra. I trust you. So…” he reached for Naruto’s hand and he saw Naruto’s brilliant smile which made his heart beat a little bit faster. 

“Thank you.” Naruto whispered and gently squeezed his hand. 

Naruto moved closer and gently put both of his hands on Kakashi’s chest. He closed his eyes and concentrated on the Kyuubi's Chakra. 

**Concentrate on our Chakra. Do you feel Kakashi's Chakra-flow?**

_ Yes. It’s irregular.  _

**Indeed. You need to push a little of our Chakra into him now. Slow.**

Naruto was breathing slowly and deep. His hands were glowing with his golden Chakra. Everybody was watching Naruto curiously.

**You have to feel the irregularities in the Chakra-flow.**

_ I feel it.  _

**Good. Heal him.**

The deep voice of the fox was vibrating through Naruto’s body while he was concentrating on healing Kakashi. The ancient fox guided him while the healing Chakra was glowing over Kakashi’s chest. 

Kakashi immediately felt much better and revitalized. It was extraordinary how fast Naruto’s healing was working. He felt the pain on his Sharingan practically being lifted and his eyes felt as good as new. “That’s incredible.” He whispered. 

Naruto opened his eyes and smiled. “Do you feel better now?” 

“I… I don’t even know what to say.” Kakashi looked at his hands. “That’s amazing. Thank you, Naruto. And you should thank the Kyuubi too.” 

Naruto grinned sheepishly. “Hehe. He doesn’t care much for formalities. But I will tell him. He said that I should take care of all of you too.” He smiled at the other shinobi and gestured to them to come closer. Ensui didn’t move and stayed away while one of the younger ones moved closer. 

“Excuse me, Uzumaki-san? Would you maybe… When the enemy attacked,… I think he got my arm really bad… I think it is broken...” He sniffed and whipped his eyes. It was clear that this young man didn’t care if the Kyuubi was the one who suggested this healing method or not, he was in pain and Naruto was able to help him. 

“Sure, come here. Let me take a look.” With a brilliant smile Naruto put his hands on the younger one’s arm and the golden healing Chakra surrounded the broken bone. Only a few moments later the young man sighed in relief. “Thank you, Uzumaki-san! The pain is gone!” Everybody laughed and clapped the young man and Naruto in their backs and started asking Naruto if he could help them too. The tension was broken, and Naruto was surrounded by Iwa and Suna Shinobi. The Konoha shinobi were clearly very proud of their comrade and patted the blond on his back. Even Ensui had to admit that maybe he was a little fast with his judgment. Shikamaru was always speaking so highly of Naruto at their clan meetings. And even Shikaku was praising the young shinobi. Shikamaru wasn’t one to speak highly of someone quickly… he was a pretty lazy fellow. But maybe he was right? And if even Hatake Kakashi was in love with Naruto now, that would have to mean something. Kakashi had always been a person who was seeking solitude. If he decided that Naruto was worth leaving his shell behind and going into war, maybe he made a mistake to judge the young man so fast. He moved closer to Naruto and the group. Most of the squad was healed – which was incredible. Even a trained medic-nin would have taken much longer to heal a whole squad. Naruto did it in a few minutes. The sheer amount of Chakra that man had… 

Ensui watched as Kakashi stood next to Naruto while the blonde took care of the squad. Their Troop-leader always watched his beloved blond and stayed close by to keep him safe and protected. Wonder seemed to happen. Even Hatake Kakashi was falling in love. Maybe they could win this war? 

*

Nighttime came and a thick fog was lingering over the woods. Kakashi made sure that everyone rested and that the rotation of the watch was clear. After that he made his way over to Naruto who was sitting in the middle of a small gathering. Sai, Lee and Naruto were huddled together, clearly glad that they have found each other in all this craziness. It wasn’t easy on any of them. Kakashi decided to leave them alone for a little bit longer.

_ I guess Sai and Lee are happy to see Naruto too. I shouldn’t be too selfish… I can talk to him later.  _ With a last smile at the small group, Kakashi turned away and made another round through their camp to make sure that everyone was ok and that the parameter was safe. 

*

Sai smiled shyly at Naruto and Lee while they were talking amicably and enthusiastic about what had happened to them over the past few weeks. Naruto turned to Sai and grinned. It was nice to have this friendly moment with Naruto. Sai was happy to see his friend again. 

“I saw how you sealed away those two Edo-Tensei shinobi. Ensui told me their names… Kushimaru and Jinpachi? That was pretty amazing Sai. I didn’t know you could do sealing Jutus! Dattebayo!!” 

Sai blushed. “Just that one. Danzo taught it to me, after Sandaime died. In case the Edo-Tensei was ever used again.” 

Naruto nodded. “Good that you learned it. You really saved us out there.” The blond smiled at him and he felt a warm feeling spreading throughout his body again. Sai thought about that. Maybe it was good that he learned it. Maybe it was important that he learned that Jutsu? It was difficult for him and he suffered through the process of Danzo teaching him that Jutsu, but now that Naruto praised him, he was proud that he was able to help his comrades. “I guess I was able to help a little.” He smiled shyly. 

Naruto gripped his shoulder. “You were great. It was hard using that Jutsu, wasn’t it? It has something to do with Danzo… doesn’t it? You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, but I want you to know that you really did an amazing job today. I am sorry that we didn’t see each other so long…” Naruto pouted. He sheepishly smiled at his teammate and scratched his neck. “Hehe, I guess I should apologize for being away for so long.” 

Sai wasn’t sure if Lee felt the same happiness at seeing Naruto again. The village was too quiet without Naruto and the missions didn’t feel the same without his teammate. He missed his friend. “It is good to see you again Naruto.” 

Lee sniffed and pulled the two men into a bone crushing hug. “INDEED!! Everybody missed you Naruto! Your youthful spirit was dreadfully absent and missed while you were gone!” 

“Lee! I missed you guys too but please, stop this! You are slobbering all over me! That’s disgusting!” 

Naruto couldn’t help laughing even though Lee was crying snot all over his jacket. He hugged his friends tightly. He missed them and he was glad to see them again. Sai and Lee hugged him too and he knew it was the right decision to come and fight with his friends. 

*

When Kakashi heard Naruto and his friends erupt into a friendly banter he decided that he left them alone long enough and that he would steal his sweet blond away now. He moved back to the little group and as he stepped out of the bushes he coughed quietly, careful not to scare them. Kakashi couldn’t quite hold back a chuckle as he watched them. Lee had Naruto and Sai in a tight embrace and was sobbing all over Naruto’s Jacket. 

_ He is so much like Gai. _

“Naruto? Do you want me to give you guys some ‘alone time’?” He shook his head and snickered.

The three turned around and looked at Kakashi. Naruto immediately struggled to get out of Lee’s grip and got up. He smiled brightly and hurried over to where Kakashi was waiting for him. “Kakashi!” 

Lee and Sai were still watching them. Naruto turned back to his friends and all of a sudden, he felt nervous. “Lee, Sai…“ He looked at the dark trees and the green jacked that Lee was wearing. He was aware that Sai was also wearing a new uniform. He just couldn’t look into their eyes. Wasn’t it him who screamed around that he didn’t care what other people thought about them? Where was his bravery now? Maybe it was because Lee and Sai were his friends that he suddenly cared so much about their thoughts and their approval. Naruto gasped when he felt Kakashi’s hand gently squeezing his. He looked into Kakashi’s grey eye and realized that this was his way of showing Naruto his support. He huffed and squeezed Kakashi’s hand as well. He turned to look at his friends. 

“Guys… I hope you are ok with this? I mean…“ His eyes were looking at Lee’s and Sai’s faces and he was afraid that he might not find acceptance, but all he could see was Lee’s usual brilliant smile and Sai’s shy grin. 

“Naruto-kun, Kakashi-san, I am very happy that the springtime of love has found your youthful hearts! I wish you both much happiness. I am sure that Gai-Sensei knows and has congratulated you on this wonderful occasion as well!” Lee was getting really excited about this and Naruto was happy to see his friend accepting his relationship so easily. 

“Yes, Gai-Sensei knows about us. In fact, he was the first person I talked to. He’s a really great listener and gives good advice.” Naruto laughed when Lee showed him two thumbs up full of enthusiasm.

“OH! Naruto-kun! I am so full of joy that you found Gai-Sensei’s advice helpful! He really is a wonderful person and now he even helped you find love! I have to tell Gai-Sensei when he joins us again!” 

Kakashi was getting irritated. It was like seeing ‘young-Gai’ in front of him. He chuckled and scratched his neck. 

Sai smiled at Naruto. “I already knew that you had a crush on Kakashi-Sensei for quite some time. This is no surprise to me, but I must say that I am happy for you and that your feelings are reciprocated Naruto-kun. Since I read in my books, that Kakashi-Sensei got for me, when feelings of love are reciprocated, a person’s wellbeing and happiness improves. Since you are my friend, I wish for your wellbeing and your happiness. Especially, because the past few months have been hard on you. I am very glad that you found love with Kakashi-Sensei. I am happy for you too, Kakashi-Sensei.” He bowed politely and smiled. Sai was confused when he suddenly felt Naruto wrap his arms around him. 

“Thank you, Sai.” 

The others watched and smiled when the confused Ex-Anbu carefully embraced his friend. “Of course, Naruto-kun.”

**

Kakashi and Naruto walked away from the small camp. Hands entwined and tightly holding onto each other, looking for warmth and security. Night had fallen over the dark trees and he was glad that they were able to find a little peace in all this madness. They stopped and sat down under an old, tall, oak tree. The leaves were still green, even though it was October. Just a few more days and Naruto would be 18. The leaves would turn brown and orange soon. Kakashi’s back was leaning against the hard bark of the old tree. He pulled Naruto closer until there was no space between them anymore. 

Naruto sighed happily when Kakashi pulled him down to sit in the grass close to the old tree. Kakashi leaned back against the tree and Naruto immediately followed the movements of the other man. His body moved in sync with Kakashi’s and scooted closer when Kakashi opened his arms for Naruto. Naruto smiled and wrapped his arms around Kakashi’s neck. He kneeled in front of the silver-haired man and sat between Kakashi’s legs. Kakashi’s arms wrapped around Naruto’s waist and pulled the blond closer to his body. They looked at each other and Naruto's fingers gently started tugging at Kakashi’s mask until he felt a slight nod which gave him the permission to pull it down. 

Kakashi pulled his beloved blond knucklehead closer until he was sitting on his lap. He felt Naruto’s fingers moving across his mask and tugging it down. He was waiting for Kakashi’s permission which he gladly gave. The mask was pulled down slowly over his nose, his cheeks, his lips and his chin. The cool breeze of the night hit his face and he took a deep breath. Naruto’s hands were gently moving over Kakashi’s cheeks and his face like it was the first time he'd seen it. Kakashi closed his eye to enjoy the simple touch. He sighed and moved his hands over Naruto’s back. The black and orange jacket hugged all the right places of the muscular back. “I missed you so much.” He whispered. Afraid, that if he spoke only a little louder the trees might carry his confessions away. 

Naruto caressed Kakashi’s cheek, while his other hand was gently touching the silver strands on his neck. “I missed you too. I was always thinking about you while I was gone.” Naruto was trying to stay as quiet as possible, but it was hard. After being separated from Kakashi for so long he felt like his heart would burst any second. Being so close to Kakashi now felt wonderful and torturous at the same time. He wanted Kakashi to kiss him and hold him like he did that night on the ship. 

He felt how Kakashi’s hands moved across his shoulders, his back,… lower…his breath was getting a little faster. He pressed his body closer to Kakashi’s. With impatience he tugged Kakashi’s Hitai-ate off and smiled at him lovingly. His hands shook a little when his fingers combed through the soft silver hair. The Hitai-ate hit the ground with a soft  **thud** . Kakashi opened his Sharingan and looked at Naruto with mismatched eyes. Naruto’s lips fell open just a little bit and he gently brushed away the wild silver hair to look at Kakashi’s handsome face. He smiled when his fingers softly caressed the mole under Kakashi’s lip.

Kakashi groaned when he felt Naruto’s hips press against his. His hands were moving over the strong back and slowly made their way towards Naruto’s ass that was tightly hugged in orange fabric. His hands moved over the fabric and squeezed – softly – slowly.

“Kakashi.” Naruto moaned and pulled on the silver strands. Kakashi’s last resolve fell. He pulled Naruto closer and pressed his lips against Naruto’s. When their lips finally met, he heard the sweetest moan that made his dick twitch. His tongue licked along Naruto’s lip who eagerly opened his lips and moaned wantonly when he felt Kakashi suck and lick on his bottom lip.

He tried to hold back but there was still so much adrenaline pumping through his veins from the last battle and he had missed Naruto so much over the past couple of weeks that it was nearly impossible to hold back. Naruto made it very hard for him to hold back when his hips started to rub against his dick and such sweet moans were leaving those sinful lips. Kakashi groaned when his hands squeezed that sweet ass again. He pulled Naruto closer and pushed his hips against the Naruto’s. “Naruto.” He moaned against his lips, not willing to part from his beloved.

Naruto squeezed his eyes shut. He had missed Kakashi so much. Every night he had dreamt about him, that kiss and the way Kakashi held him. Seems like Kakashi had missed him too. Kakashi’s lips felt so good and his hands… 

_ I’m going crazy. The way he’s touching me…I want him so much!  _ Naruto groaned when he pulled away from the kiss. A string of saliva connected them, and he licked his lips sensually. “Did you think of me, Kakashi?” 

Kakashi looked at him, his brain felt fuzzy with love and lust. “You are always on my mind, Naruto.”

“Kakashiii…” Naruto whined and kissed Kakashi again, feverishly he pressed his lips to Kakashi’s. Just for a moment before he pulled away again. “I love you.” His hands were on Kakashi’s neck and sensually they moved into the silver hair, when they finally kissed again.

Kakashi moaned when their lips were sealed together again. Their tongues were dancing and rubbing against each other. Naruto’s taste was intoxicating and the feeling of his body eagerly rubbing against him was driving him crazy. His breath was getting faster when he squeezed Naruto’s ass and pushed him tightly over his dick.

Naruto pulled away from the kiss and moaned. “Ah! Ka-Kakashi!” He tried not to be too loud because the camp was not too far away, but feeling Kakashi’s hard cock brush against his own hard dick did something to him. His heart was racing, and he was breathing faster. His sweaty palms were tightly gripping onto Kakashi’s shoulders. He had never felt so horny before. Kakashi did things to his brain and his body. Their eyes met again and Kakashi reached up. With one hand he reached for Naruto’s whiskered cheeks and gently caressed the soft skin. “I love you. No matter what is going to happen tomorrow. I want you to know that.”

Naruto’s foggy brain cleared a little at Kakashi’s words. “Why are you saying that?” He tried to slow his breath and concentrated more on what Kakashi was saying.

“Maybe we should stop this now… We really should get back to the camp anyway.” 

Naruto groaned. “What? But I… We… Can’t we…?” 

Kakashi chuckled. “Maybe we should take this slow?”

“Slow?” 

The heat of the moment was not gone and both men were very much aroused, but Naruto moved away from Kakashi’s lap and sat close next to the copy-nin. Their cheeks were still red and heated. 

“I am not good with words…” 

“Clearly.” Naruto grinned and snuggled closer. He felt warmth and love all around him as Kakashi put his right arm around Naruto’s shoulder and with his free left hand he reached for Naruto’s to entwine their fingers. 

“If I survive this war –“ 

“When this war is over,…” Naruto immediately corrected him. “I will make sure that we will go home together. Dattebayo.”

Kakashi smiled and gently kissed the blond hair. “Understood. When this war is over, maybe we can go on a date.” He rubbed his nose in the blond locks and inhaled the sweet scent that he has missed so much. 

“A… A date?” Naruto felt himself blush and squirm against Kakashi’s arms. “Like a real date?” 

Kakashi looked down into wide blue eyes. “I don’t know what a real date constitutes, but I promise that I will find out and take you on one.”

Never in his whole life had he been so happy and excited. He was sure that his heart would explode. “Yes… I would love that.”Naruto turned his face to look at Kakashi. “That’s a promise, Kakashi. So, you must promise not to do anything stupid or reckless in this war! AND when we have our date, you are absolutely forbidden to be late! I am sure that it's not ok to be late when people have dates.”

Kakashi chuckled. “Shouldn’t I be the one asking you not to do anything stupid and reckless?” 

“Kakashi!”

“Yes, Yes. I promise.. and I will try to be on time.” 

“Kakashi!” 

“I will definitely be on time.” 

***


	20. Kurama - Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kurama thinks about his life with Naruto and the other Jinchuriki.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to write a short chapter from Kuramas perspective to give a little more insight on what our favorite Kyuubi thinks about all of this ;)  
> Where are the Kurama fans? xD
> 
> Kurama is awesome, and so are kudos and comments :)   
> I love you all.

Kurama remembered the day he was sealed into this child. This loud obnoxious child. He would never shut up and he would always get himself into trouble. He hated him. He hated all of them. Those disgusting humans… And most of all he hated the Yondaime Hokage for sealing him in this child. He would never forgive him. One day he would rip this human boy apart, kill him and finally be free again. He would feast on his blood and destroy that god damn village that the Yondaime wanted to protect. 

But as the years passed, he watched that loud-mouthed brat every day. Kurama watched how he grew up and how he struggled. He saw everything… He watched how the adults of Konoha treated a small weak child and how they beat him half to death, made him starve. 

**Is that what you wanted for your son Yondaime?**

Kurama was sure that by sealing him in his own son, he wanted to show the village what a hero his son was, but that didn’t happen. They pushed him away and treated Naruto like dirt. But the little one never gave up, he cried himself to sleep when his wounds hurt too much or when the hunger was too great. Kurama tried not to feel sympathy, but sometimes he felt his old heart ache with pain when Naruto’s desperate cries got too loud. 

He was an ancient being and he shouldn’t be surprised by the cruelty of men, but when the group of shinobi stood around his young host and kicked and punched the small child until he finally passed out, even Kurama had to look away. He felt his hate for those stupid humans grow with every punch and with every kick. Every time they hurt Naruto, he felt his old heart ache. There was blood all over the young boy’s face when he finally woke up again. 

When Naruto silently walked home through the dark streets he cried miserably and Kurama decided that he would give that stupid loud-mouthed brat a chance. He was healing his wounds as best and as fast as he could. He was annoying but maybe he just needed someone who watched over him. He would try to protect this little one until someone came along and finally love him – like he deserved it. 

*

Kurama didn’t like that Uchiha brat. He wasn’t good to Naruto. When they were teamed up, he knew that something bad was going to happen. He would watch this Uchiha very closely. He had experiences with the Uchiha Clan… they were rotten… all of them. If that boy hurt his kit, he would rip him apart piece by piece. He growled and dug his claws into the floor of his cage.

*

When Sasuke left the village, he realized how much pain that evoked in his host. Since he was feeling everything that Naruto felt, he understood the pain and the loneliness that the young boy was going through. 

It was obvious that the pressure that the older humans put on his small shoulders was not good.    
It might have been Naruto’s childish wish that Sasuke and him would have an epic friendship, go on missions and become great shinobi together, but he was too young to see how toxic this friendship actually was. The raven-haired boy hurt him over and over again. 

The young body was a field of scars, invisible, because Kurama healed his wounds. His mind, still childish, was troubled and full of painful longing for his lost friend. Those were wounds that Kurama couldn’t heal. Sasuke was going his own way and didn’t care who he had to hurt to get what he wanted. Kurama had seen this kind of behavior often enough in his long life. This wouldn’t end well – for neither of them. Naruto would suffer and it would kill him in the end if he didn’t intervene. 

When the child from Sunagakure entered the village he immediately felt Shukaku's presence. He felt the pull towards his brother. He wished to flee and finally be reunited with his brother – even though he was just as annoying as Naruto’s near constant babbling and his hyper-activeness, he missed Shukaku. It had been so long since he had seen his brothers and sisters. A whimper left him. Would he ever see them again?

Maybe it was his Chakra? Kurama had thought about that, but when he remembered his other hosts that had never been an issue. He had other Uzumaki hosts over the years and they had never suffered under his Chakra like that. Naruto was the only one that was so hyperactive. Kurama was sure that the issue was Naruto’s own huge amount of Chakra and the lack of love and attention in his childhood that made the boy so active and restless. Maybe it would get better when he got older and finally found someone who would take care of him and love him.

*

Kurama would never admit it, but the more time he spent with Naruto, the more he liked the boy and the more he actually worried about the stupid boy. He watched him jump from one danger into the next and it was making him restless. He wished he could do something for that loud-mouthed brat. He had never felt this way for his other hosts. But maybe it was because Uzumaki Mito was happily married with Hashirama and Uzumaki Kushina had the Minato brat when they became the Jinchuriki. Naruto was just a baby when the Yondaime decided their fate. Binding him to this helpless little creature. 

It was Kuruma who would listen to Naruto’s cries at night. No one was there to hold the little child when the nightmares came. No parents were there when the hunger was too great. He growled when he thought of the masked man… the man who had taken all of their futures away. Sometimes he felt like he should tell the boy what had happened that night when Minato and Kushina were killed, but his resentment towards the man who sealed him was still too great. He knew that Naruto would find out the truth by himself. When that day came he would talk to Naruto.

He knew that one day someone would come along and make Naruto’s heart jump and take away the emptiness. The years passed and Kurama watched his little one grow older. He couldn't help but wish that this person would hurry. 

*

Kurama thought that maybe Naruto would fall in love with that pink haired girl or with the Hyuuga girl, but no, no! He had never thought that his host would fall  _ head over heals _ with the Hatake brat! If the Yondaime could see this! The ancient fox was laughing madly in his cage. 

**Watch this Yondaime as your boy is pining away for your student! Haha!**

Kurama felt a mad satisfaction when he watched Naruto desperately pining away for Hatake Kakashi. He chuckled as Naruto blushed and giggled to himself. The boy was deeply engulfed in the waves of his first true love. The childish crush that he felt for Sakura was gone. His heart had matured and a deep love for the silver-haired man was growing. 

*

It was hard for Naruto when the old Sannin died and to be honest it was hard for the fox as well, because he kinda liked the funny Sannin. He really thought that he would finally be someone who would take care of his little one and be a father figure. Naruto took it hard and he felt the little fragile heart break a little bit. He was an ancient being, he had seen war, death, love, he had lost his brothers and sisters and he had been locked up for so many centuries but still – watching and listening to Naruto’s silent sobbing the night when he learned of Jiraiya’s death was breaking his old heart. He was glad when that academy teacher came along and took care of Naruto.

*

Maybe Naruto was still too young to understand those things, but Kurama saw the way that Hatake Kakashi was watching him. Since Kurama was locked up in his cage he had to find other ways of amusement and watching Hatake Kakashi pining after his student was also kinda funny. Not only that but watching those two love-sick idiots pining for each other was hilarious. What worried him though, was the situation with the young Uchiha. It seemed that he had chosen a violent and destructive path. It came like it had to come. It was exactly like Kurama had predicted. The angry young child had become an even angrier and violent young man and went on a killing rampage. 

Naruto fell onto his knees and wasn’t able to breathe anymore. The fox could only watch when the realization sank into Naruto’s consciousness that Sasuke was lost to him. The dead Samurai, the Kage that Sasuke tried to kill,he killed Uchiha Itachi, he was a member of the Akatsuki now and he tried to kill the Hachibi. Kurama knew that his brother was still alive – he would have felt it if Gyuki was dead, but Naruto didn’t know that, and he must be afraid because he finally understood what Sasuke was a member of the Organization that was after the Jinchuriki and the Bijuu.

Naruto stumbled and fell into the wet snow. Kurama felt him hyperventilate. He groaned and closed his tired eyes. Naruto would need to accept that Sasuke was lost to him. Better sooner than later. He was listening to Kakashi’s worried voice, as the copy-nin was trying to calm his host. He felt Kakashi’s presence and Naruto’s body was gently lifted. He was surprised when Hatake Kakashi pressed his lips onto Naruto’s. He snickered. Maybe he should keep an eye on the copy-nin? Kurama felt Naruto’s heart skip a beat before he passed out. 

**Well, I guess that kiss was much better than that horrible accident with Sasuke in the academy, if it made him pass out?**

The ancient fox chuckled darkly and decided to sleep for a little bit as well.

*

When he opened his eyes again, he groaned. He just wanted to rest for a little bit, was that really so hard? But with Naruto as his host - it was hard to get some peace. He saw that Naruto was no longer at the Inn, where that wood-user had a watchful eye on him. Even though the wood-user was the only one who could effectively suppress Kurama’s Chakra, he liked Yamato. It seemed like he genuinely liked Naruto and really worried about his little one. He couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw the young Uchiha standing in front of Naruto. He lifted his head and tried to get his anger under control. 

_ “Why are you so obsessed with this?! I don’t want to come back to Konoha and I don’t care about you, team 7, or any of this!”  _

_ “Because you are my friend. That’s why I will never give up trying to save you.” _

Of course, Naruto was still running after this dream… He was still believing that they could be friends again. Why wouldn’t he see the friends that he had and the people that truly cared about him? That Nara kid was good, and even though he might be a little bit weird, Kurama also approved of Sai. Kurama was still debating what he thought about Sakura, but maybe the girl just had to get over her very unhealthy crush on that Uchiha boy. 

_ “I wish you would stop. I wish I would never have to see your face again. And most of all I wish to never see or hear from Konoha ever again.”  _

Kurama felt Naruto’s pain. Those words must have cut deep. He closed his eyes.

_ “Sasuke. If that were truly your wish… and all that hate you feel towards Konoha is still there… Let me take it. I will take it all if that would mean that you could forgive the village and the innocent people. –“  _

Kurama growled. He saw the masked man. That was the man that controlled him that night when the Yondaime died. He clawed at his cage and he felt his insides burn. He was the one that did all of this! He howled in anguish.

_ “I know how this situation is hurting you. Naruto… But sacrificing yourself is not the right way. Not for the village, not for this team and not for … please think about how this would hurt your friends and teammates. What about your dreams? You have so much to live for.”  _

He watched Kakashi take Naruto into his arms.

_ Take good care of him Hatake… I am watching you. _

*

Damn those toads! He hated those creatures! He clawed his way into Naruto’s Chakra paths as he felt the old Sage tried to fuse with his host. 

_ No way. Naruto is mine! I was there first. I was there all those years, all those nights, when he cried, when he was in pain. I took care of his wounds!  _

Kurama growled and forcefully pushed the toad away from Naruto. He remembered Jiraiya and the strong bond that Naruto shared with the Sannin. He knew that Naruto wanted to follow in his footsteps. That would also mean to become a Master in Sage-Jutsu. Kurama groaned. He didn’t like this one bit…

When he felt the toads Chakra again, he decided to give Naruto this chance. But he would tell his Baka host how much he hated this!

*

Freedom! He howled and screamed when he felt the walls of his cage crumble. Of course, he was aware of Naruto’s pain. It was burning through his entire being. When Kakashi jumped into the fight and defended Naruto against Pain he thought the Jonin would die. He was aware of the fact that Kakashi’s Chakra reserves were critically low and that fighting an enemy like this wouldn’t end well. But nonetheless the copy-nin fought with everything he had to defend Naruto.

_ “Why did you come here Kakashi-Sensei? Please hurry and leave!” _

_ “I won’t let you stand here alone. This time I will be with you. I don’t care if I die here today, but I can’t let my cute student die before he becomes Hokage and all his dreams become true.”  _

What bravery… He snickered. As an ancient being he had seen cowardice, weakness and bravery… he had seen heroes fall and rise and he had seen idiots. Kakashi was a special human under all of these Konoha people. He was one of those truly brave men – one who would never abandon the one he truly loved. He saw it in the way he always kept a watchful eye on Naruto. He saw it in his tired Sharingan. Kurama saw it in the way he pushed himself when he took a fighting stance again, even though his whole body was aching. 

_ "I will get you out of here. I will not let them have you. – “ _

When Kakashi fell, darkness was surrounding Naruto. It was engulfing his heart, his mind and he felt all his walls crumble. The sealing broke and Kurama screamed. When the sealing broke, he finally would be  _ free _ again and Naruto would  _ die _ . 

When the Yondaime sealed him inside this loud-mouthed screaming baby he wanted nothing more than to tear this child apart and kill him, but now,.. after 17 years of living with Naruto he screamed in anguish and despair because he was afraid that Naruto would tear down the last sealing. Losing Kakashi might have been too hard in his fragile heart. Kurama tried everything to keep the last sealing intact but he felt Naruto’s heart darken and his mind was shattering. He saw the young man standing inside their shared mindscape. His eyes were unfocused. “Kakashi…” 

“Naruto. Don’t do this.” 

“They took him from me.” Tears ran down his face.

“Baka, it won’t bring Kakashi back, if you die today.” 

“You can’t stop me. I want them to burn. All of them.” Dark water was gently lifting Naruto’s trembling body to the sealing that kept Kurama’s cage locked up. He reached for the sealing. 

“You will die if you take off this sealing.” 

Naruto’s hand was shaking as he sobbed and tried to pull it down but suddenly a yellow flash pulled him away from the cage. Kurama sighed in relief. 

**You are late, Yondaime.**

Naruto wouldn’t remember the conversation in front of the sealing. Kurama made sure of that.

*

Kurama was amused as he watched the two men finally making small moves towards each other. It was the first time that one of his hosts was in a relationship with a partner of the same sex, but that didn’t matter to Kurama. All that mattered to him was that Naruto finally found someone that took care of him, loved him and would never abandon him again. Kakashi was someone who had also suffered greatly, and he knew that Kakashi was also looking for love and security. They would be good for each other. Kurama smiled and rested his head over his paws, as he watched them making the first careful steps while slowly falling in love.    
The ancient fox smiled. Love was always the same it seems – no matter the age, gender or species. Careful, slow, tender. 

Most of the time he was sleeping and made sure that Naruto had his privacy. Especially since he was not interested in listening to Naruto moaning Kakashi’s name under the shower. 

*

*

Kurama had always been with Naruto. He had been with Naruto when he was a child and when lonely tears fell, and he had been with Naruto when Kakashi finally kissed him for the first time. 

He heard Naruto’s frantic heartbeat when Kakashi gently touched his whiskered cheeks. He felt Naruto’s pain and his joy. Nobody was closer to the blond then him. Nobody knew his little one better than him. He knew the darkest parts of Naruto’s soul, his deepest desires and his greatest fears. 

When Naruto trained with Bee he put up little resistance – the truth was that he gave in easier than Naruto might have thought. Naruto was now able to use his Chakra and with the Bijuu-Mode, as he called it, he would be much safer to where he wanted to go.   
Kurama sighed. Somehow, he was glad that he never had the chance to have offspring of his own. Naruto was quite the handful and he was always busy keeping him safe… he didn’t want to know how much work it would be to raise his own cubs. He was quiet for a moment. Somehow, he felt like Naruto was his own. He was with him from the moment of Naruto’s birth and he had spent more time with him than anyone else. Maybe he had parental feelings for that Baka child. 

He grumbled. Shukaku was never allowed to know about this. 

***


	21. Sasuke - Part 1 - Itachi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part one of Sasukes Story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to keep this short but somehow this escalated a little bit so I had to split it up into 4 parts.  
> Feelings!! :( 
> 
> I am sorry to those who wished for a happy ending for Sasuke…  
> You have already guessed,... there won't be a happy ending for him.  
> Please note the warnings and tags.

Sasuke knew that the masked man was using him. But the truth was that he was using him as well. By the time he had joined the Akatsuki, his sole goal was to kill his brother and destroy Konoha. His hatred towards the village and Naruto was slowly destroying him. He felt it eating at him. He wanted his revenge and he wanted to see his brother dead. But the thing with revenge was, that once you had it, it left you with nothing. When Sasuke stood in front of Itachi's dead body he felt completely empty inside. When Itachi gently touched his forehead, he wished that he could have died with him. What had he done with his life? 

He left his village and joined a criminal organization. He killed the only family he had left in this world. His brother was dead now and he had never felt more alone in this word than he did at this moment. He had pushed away the one true friend he had… Naruto… he tried to kill him one too many times and the last time he saw the blond he told him that he never wanted to see his face again.

Sasuke groaned. What had he done with his life? He looked back and all he saw was death and misery. There was nothing light or good inside him anymore. Everything that was good he had destroyed or pushed away. Including his friendship with Naruto. 

But he had this one chance to make it right again. He thought that finally he might be free and that now after killing Orochimaru and his brother he would be free of this burden. Now he would never again serve anybody. But it wasn’t that easy, was it? Of course not. Sasuke wasn’t stupid. He knew that all of his actions would lead to repercussions and eventually his own death – sooner or later. He had promised himself that he wouldn’t let it end like this, that he wouldn’t let the Uchiha clan end like this. But looking back at his own actions he realized that he couldn’t put his family's name and Itachi's sacrifice into this kind of dishonor, only because he wasn’t able to find peace. 

When he realized that the shinobi world had fallen into war with the Akatsuki he didn’t really care at first. On the contrary. He enjoyed it and rode on the waves of hatred that the Akatsuki pulled wherever they went. He was high on the feeling that destruction and death brought. He wasn’t able to see that all of this hate was killing him inside. It was destroying him and slowly deforming and crippling his soul and his heart. He felt the bitter bile of death on his tongue. A taste that would never leave him again. He was tainted with blood. It had soaked his hands with which he had killed so many innocent people. It had soaked his feet. His clothes. Everything was reeking of blood. He couldn’t wash it off anymore. When Naruto asked him to join him  _ again  _ and return to the village he realized that saying yes, wasn’t an option anymore. He has seen so much death and killed too many people. Going back to the village was no longer possible for him. 

Sasuke felt Itachi's Chakra as soon as the Edo-Tensei was activated. He had followed his brother to this cave. Sasuke wasn’t sure what Itachi would do here and he didn’t know who was controlling those Edo-Tensei Reanimations but he was determined to find out. He wasn’t willing to let anybody use his brother this way. 

*

Itachi was leading the way inside, he was sure that his brother would follow him inside. Sasuke still kept his distance. 

“I know you are here Sasuke.” 

Sasuke flinched and stopped. 

“It’s alright. You can come out.” 

Itachi stopped and waited for a few moments until Sasuke had caught up with him. 

“Since when did you know that I was following you, Nii-san?” 

Itachi smiled tenderly at his brother. It comforted him that Sasuke still called him Nii-san. 

“Because I know the steps of my Otouto.” He looked back and their eyes met. Sasuke felt a strange pain in his chest, when he saw how tenderly his brother looked at him. It was the same face that he remembered from his childhood. It was the same face that he saw shortly before Itachi died. His lips were quivering. He couldn’t do this. “Nii-san.” He whispered. 

“It’s alright Sasuke.” Itachi smiled at him and started to walk again. “We need to go. He is close. The man who controls this Jutsu.” 

Sasuke nodded and moved his body to follow his brother.

*

They found a small cave that was barely lit. A tall figure stood in the middle of the dark chamber made of rocks and granite monoliths. He was dressed in a red cape which obscured his face. 

“It seems we have found you.” Itachi said calmly. 

“Hmm. It seems that way, Uchiha Itachi. And I see that you have brought your little brother with you, how sweet, is this an Uchiha-family-reunion? I am glad I was able to help!” 

The figure turned around and Sasuke gasped when he saw Kabuto’s face. It was white and scalded like a snake. He was almost an exact replica of Orochimaru. He couldn’t believe what he saw. 

Kabuto angrily grimaced when he saw Sasuke. “I almost can’t believe my eyes. Are you really teaming up with Uchiha Itachi? The man that you wanted to kill for years and the one that you left the village and all your friends for? Don’t you remember your wish for revenge and your hatred? Hmmm.. But you were always gullible and easy to sway, Sasuke-kun. Maybe you just came to kill him again?” 

Sasuke gritted his teeth. He felt angry because there was so much truth in Kabuto’s words. He really had been naïve and easy to sway. First by Orochimaru’s promise of power and then by man in the mask and his promise to destroy Konoha. They used him and he used them – he never had been truly free and all that he had left now was this one chance to end this Jutsu to help his brother find peace and maybe help Naruto.

Itachi stepped forward. “How dare you desecrate souls that were purified? With this Jutsu you continue to spread hate and sadness. Can you understand the pain that you put the dead in that are forced to fight their loved ones? And the pain of the living is even greater.” 

Kabuto laughed. “Hehe. I never would have thought to hear such soft words from the one who killed the entire Uchiha clan. Does that mean that you regret your actions?” 

“Say what you will. You will die here.” 

“Sasuke-kun, are you here because you want to kill Itachi again? Since I brought him back to this realm, we could team up and take him down together. We share the same power of the snake and the same master… –“ 

Sasuke had enough of this. “I have no intention of calling anyone else my master again. I am here to end this Jutsu and kill you. I chased Itachi all the way here because I wanted to talk to him.” Sasuke pulled out some Shuriken and angrily threw them at Kabuto. Itachi blocked the attack. “What are you doing?! He is just like Orochimaru! He is the enemy!”

“I understand. We will talk later, but first we have to take him down, but we cannot kill him. If you kill him, the Jutsu will never end.” 

Sasuke clenched his fists and nodded tensely. If the Jutsu never ended that would mean that all the reanimated shinobi out there like Itachi would never find their peace. “Alright. Let’s do this your way.” 

*

Sasuke was under the wrong impression that fighting Kabuto would be easy. That damn snake gave them a very hard time and it took forever to immobilize him. When Itachi finally put him under his Tsukuyomi to make him release the Jutsu, Sasuke felt very tired and his eyes were burning. He was glad, when he was finally able to deactivate his Sharingan. “Itachi… I have so many questions. I feel like I have lost my way and I don’t know what to do.” 

“Sasuke. Do you truly want to destroy Konoha?” 

Sasuke bit his lip. He felt like screaming at Itachi. Why did he care so much about the village? The Jutsu would be released soon and they had to talk now! 

“I met Danzo. He told me about what happened in the village and what they made you do. I cannot forgive them. I hate them. All of them. But… Nii-saan…” Sasuke’s lip quivered. Would this really be the last moments with his brother? He felt his view getting obscured by angry tears. He felt all the walls that he had built around himself, break. “I have never stopped thinking about you. About the time that we have spent together. When you were training with me, when I was a kid. Or when I was little, and I was scare of a storm and you took care of me…” An ugly sob broke free of his lungs. “Why did you kill them? Why didn’t you kill me? Why didn’t you take me with you?! Why did you leave me there?!” Sasuke fell to his knees and buried his face in his hands. He was sobbing into his hands. More and more tears were running down his cheeks. 

Itachi was only a reanimated dead body, but he still felt a deep pain in his chest, right where his heart should be. If he were alive, he would cry with his brother, but he wasn’t. No tears were running down his cheeks. No sadness was allowed in his empty chest that was once so full of love for his little brother. He turned around and focused on Kabuto to make sure that the snake-like-man ended the Jutsu. His body started to glow. The Edo-Tensei Jutsu was released.

“I feel my consciousness slowly… fading…” He was walking towards Sasuke. He stretched his hand out to hold his brother for one last time. “There is no need to lie anymore.” He whispered quietly. “The night I left you, I did everything that Danzo and Tobi told you. I will show you everything that has happened.” With his last power he took Sasuke into his memories and showed his brother what really happened on that fateful day when he had to kill his entire clan. 

Sasuke gasped when he was taken into his brothers’ memories. They were painful and bloody. 

“I regret it now, that I have not told you everything before it has come to this… but I always wanted to protect you from the truth. I am after all your Nii-san.” Itachi smiled at him and it broke Sasuke’s heart. 

“Now that I have told you the truth, I will never have to say it again. I am sorry that I always lied to you. I always kept you at a distance and kept things from you. Simply because I wanted to keep you safe. It seems that I was wrong… Maybe you could have changed Mother and Father, if only I had been honest with you.”

Sasuke gasped when he saw Itachi kneel in front of him. He looked into the dark eyes of the Edo-Tensei reanimation. The glow that was all around Itachi’s body was irritating. His brother moved closer to him and he saw Itachi's smile close to his face. The smile that was always reserved just for him, when Itachi would take care of him when he was little or when he came back from a long mission and smiled at Sasuke tenderly. Itachi wrapped his arms around Sasuke. 

“I did what I had to do, Sasuke. I am not asking for your forgiveness. I only wish that you live a full and happy life. No matter what way you decide to go, I want you to know that your Nii-san will always love you the most.” 

Sasuke tightly gripped the red robe and sobbed brokenly when Itachi’s body fell apart in his hands. “Nii-san….”

*

Sasuke felt empty. He didn’t know how long he sat there staring into empty space. He needed to get up and move. But move where? What should he do now? Did he even have a purpose in this world? He had lost everything and everyone. He had lost his village, his friends, his family and his team. He looked at Kabuto’s frozen body and silent tears ran down his cheeks. Orochimaru used him, Kabuto wanted to use him and Madara wanted to use him for his purposes as well. Only Naruto continued to chase after him and proclaimed loudly that he was his friend even though he hurt him over and over again. He had made one mistake after the other. He remembered the way Naruto ran after him when they were children. Things seemed so much easier back then. Naruto was a stupid knucklehead and they were still friends. He closed his eyes for a moment and started to dream. Konoha was in front of him. Naruto was calling his name in his typical loud manner. He smiled when he saw Naruto and Sakura were running towards him – Their arms were wide open, and they were waiting for him. This time he wouldn’t push Sakura away. Maybe he would hug her. Naruto smiled at him and waved excitedly. He saw Kakashi – sitting under a tree reading his porn. He wanted to dream of this life where Naruto was still his friend, Sakura was in his arms and Kakashi was lazily reading his books. A tear was rolling down his cheek and a broken whimper left his lungs. He was tired and he just wanted to sleep and dream for a moment.

***


	22. Sasuke - part 2 - Konoha

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the Edo-Tensei was released, Sasuke fell asleep in the cave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part 2 of Sasuke’s story  
> I am back! Muahahah! XD  
> Thank you everyone for your sweet and encouraging comments. They really make me happy and I appreciate them so much. I love you. :) 

Sasuke wasn’t sure for how long he slept, but he was sure that a noise woke him up. There were steps that came closer. He sat up and listened to the noises of the cave. He reached for his sword and got ready for a fight. When his eyes adjusted to the darkness again, he tried to see who was making their way into this cave. Nobody knew of this location. Except maybe one of the Akatsuki? Sasuke got up and pulled the sword from its sheath. 

“Show yourself!” 

“Sasuke!” Suigetsu and Juugo moved closer and Suigetsu seemed very happy over their sudden meeting. “We were looking everywhere for you!” 

The young Uchiha tried to move his tired stiff body off the ground but he still felt the fatigue after the fight with Kabuto. Sasuke could feel a deep sadness settling in his mind and his heart, over the loss of his brother, that was only strengthened over the longing for his lost friends and the village. Itachi’s death ripped open his heart and the pain over this loss clawed at his wounded body. His body ached and trembled. Sasuke could feel his fragile heart shatter under the realization that his beloved brother had left him forever now. He didn’t want to show Suigetsu and Juugo how weak he felt so he just nodded at them both and waited for Suigetsu to tell him why he was so excited. The other man walked up to him and pulled out a scroll that had the Uchiha crest on it and he showed it to Sasuke with an excited gleam in his eyes. 

“Nee, Sasuke! Look! What we found in one of Orochimaru’s old lairs?! Isn’t that cool? Do you want to take a look?” 

Eagerly he pushed the scroll into Sasuke’s hands. 

Sasuke groaned. He didn’t feel ready for more Uchiha secrets. Uchiha plots. Uchiha scrolls with Uchiha texts. What good would come out of it. Now that he was the last of his clan, what good would this damn scroll do for him or anyone? He debated for a moment to simply destroy that damn thing and leave all of this behind him, but then he moaned and looked down at the scroll in his hands. The Uchiha crest burned into his eyes. Just one more horrible secret that he would discover about his family – the village – himself. He broke the seal and let the scroll roll open on his lap. He gasped. He read it again. Quickly his eyes left the paper and looked between Suigetsu and Juugo, who had a woman on his shoulders. 

“Who is that woman?” Sasuke looked at her with scrutinizing eyes. 

“We found her at one of the lairs. She also carries Orochimaru’s mark. We brought her with us.” Juugo simply answered.

“Good. We need her. I need to resurrect Orochimaru.” 

Suigetsu screamed. “What? Are you completely mad? He will kill us all! Don’t you remember what he did? – And what YOU did? You killed him!”

“That is of no importance right now. I need him.” 

Suigetsu tried to convince Sasuke that resurrecting Orochimaru was the wrong choice, but Sasuke was already preparing everything to pull Orochimaru out of the cursed Seal that was glowing on the woman’s neck. He thought he knew her from somewhere, but he wasn’t sure and he didn’t really care at this point, all that mattered was to get Orochimaru here and to go back to Konoha. He asked Juugo to go and fetch some of Kabuto’s flesh which he put on top of the cursed mark. After he concentrated his Chakra, he tried to remember the way Kakashi had sealed his cursed mark. He would do it in reverse and unseal it. 

“Unseal!” The mark glowed and a huge snake slipped out of the unconscious body. Suigetsu tried to hide behind Juugo’s massive body and squealed when the snake finally opened her mouth. Orochimaru’s body, that was covered in slime softly glided out of the snake’s body and onto the stony ground. The three companions watched as Orochimaru slowly opened his eyes and stood up.

Orochimaru looked around the dark cave and fixed his eyes on Kabuto. With a sad look he turned away from the man who had been his companion once. It pained him to look at Kabuto who had changed so much. He remembered the kind face and the warm eyes of the man who took care of him when he was weak and sick and who had never left his side.

“Sasuke.” His voice was still rough from disuse but it would get better soon. 

“Orochimaru. There is something that I want you to do for me.”

“You don’t have to explain, Sasuke-kun. I’ve been watching from inside Anko this whole time. I have secured my Sage Jutsu Chakra inside her cursed marks. It works like a subconsciousness.” 

Sasuke huffed and stepped closer to the Sannin. “Does that mean that you know about the war as well?” 

Orochimaru nodded. “Of course, but I have absolutely no interest in this war. It is not my war.” 

Sasuke pulled out the scroll that Suigetsu had given him and showed it to Orochimaru. It seemed like the Sannin recognized it immediately. He looked at Sasuke disapprovingly. “What good will it do if you meet them, Sasuke? You are only a child, who doesn’t understand it all.” 

Sasuke grimaced and gritted his teeth at Orochimaru. “What could you possibly know about me?” He closed his eyes. “I am no longer a child. I need to see them, and I need to know everything. Who am I supposed to be now and what should I do?” 

Orochimaru somehow felt a sad trepidation creeping up on him. Something had changed in Sasuke over the past few months. The anger and the rage seemed to have disappeared. Where there was only hatred before he could now feel that a deep sadness had settled into the young man. What had happened while he was gone? Sasuke opened his eyes and their gazes met. 

“What happened, Sasuke?” 

“Itachi is dead.” 

“I know. But that is not what changed you so. You wanted him dead, wasn’t that your goal?” 

Silence fell over the small group and Sasuke averted Orochimaru’s eyes. He clenched his fists and tried to breath. 

“Naruto.” That simple word broke the silence and Sasuke wished he had never spoken that name. He regretted ever saying something. 

Orochimaru huffed and drew his brows tightly together. His lips were in a tight line as he watched the last Uchiha battle with himself. The gloomy light of the cave didn’t give away much, but he saw Sasuke’s contours and the shape of his face which was scrunched up in pain.   
Orochimaru never was one for comforting speeches or any kind of emotional support, that was always Jiraiya or sometimes even Tsunade. Right now, he wished he had Jiraiya’s talent at comforting people, because even though there was practically no light in this cave, he could see the pain in Sasuke’s eyes. 

“Sasuke. Is your hatred for Konoha, and the wish for vengeance so big?”

“I feel no hatred for the village anymore. I feel nothing at all. But… I want to help him. Maybe…” Sasuke stopped talking and finally looked up at Orochimaru, Juugo and Suigetsu. “Maybe Naruto will forgive me. Maybe if I talk to them, I will finally understand why, even in death, Itachi wanted to protect the people of Konoha, and why Naruto was always so adamant about taking me back to that place.” 

After a tense silence Juugo shrugged off Suigetsu’s arm to stand closer to Sasuke. “We will come with you Sasuke. You are not alone in this.” Suigetsu grunted in displeasure as he sensed another dangerous mission coming their way. He didn’t like this one bit. Especially since their old master was back now – he didn’t trust Orochimaru. Juugo intently watched him. “What? Yes, alright! Damn it all. I will come with you too of course.” He was grumbling a little. 

“Sasuke…We can go to Konoha and find out what you want to know.” Orochimaru led them out of the cave and the other three hurried to follow. 

**

When the group arrived at the village, Sasuke felt a deep sense of nostalgia and longing in his bones. He looked around Konoha and realized how much the village had changed. In fact, this wasn’t the same village that he had left behind. He couldn’t remember those streets and those houses. What had happened? It must have to do with that attack that Tobi mentioned. The Akatsuki. Slowly and quietly they walked through the village and Sasuke saw some people picking up vegetables from a store, happy children running around and he watched as a couple walked out of a restaurant. 

He squeezed his eyes shut. He could remember Sakura’s tears when he left the village and Naruto’s desperate begging when they fought… There were too many times when they fought. 

He stood frozen in the street and watched the man gently take his girlfriend’s hand. He smiled at her and even though Sasuke wasn’t able to hear what the man said he realized that it must have been a joke because the woman laughed and snuggled closer to him. He clenched his fist. 

The others looked at the Uchiha unsure why they had stopped. Orochimaru touched his shoulder. “Are you sure you want to go through with this?” He quietly spoke. He was careful. Even though the war was raging far away from the village, Konoha was a shinobi village and he didn’t want to risk getting them discovered. 

Sasuke shrugged off his hand and walked on. “Yes. We should move. We shouldn’t linger here too long.” 

**

They walked to the outskirts of Konoha where the Uchiha compound had been, but now only rocks and broken wood remained of the once proud clan. Orochimaru led them to the hidden shrine where he would perform the forbidden Jutsu of the Edo-Tensei. 

Sasuke opened the hidden Shrine, which was only possible with the Sharingan, and together the little group stepped inside the dark tunnels, that led them to a small room. Sasuke lit the flames and the warm light of the candles made him feel a little less anxious about what Orochimaru would be doing. He had told them that first of all he had to reverse the sealing of the death reapers seal and unseal his arms, that the Sandaime had taken with him when he died. After that he would be able to use Jutsus again and finally he could perform the Edo-Tensei. With this Jutsu they would call back the four Hokage. 

Sasuke was nervous. He watched Orochimaru perform just like he said, but the closer they got to actually call the four Hokage back, the more anxiety he felt building up inside him. What could they possibly tell him, that he didn’t already know? When Orochimaru told them that for the reanimation they would need four bodies, Sasuke remembered that Tobi had put four Zetsus inside his body when he decided to join the Akatsuki. The Sannin decided that they would free Sasuke of those parasites and use them for the Edo-Tensei. He grimaced when he felt Juugos Chakra pull out the Zetsus that Tobi had placed inside him some weeks ago. That felt even more unpleasant than he thought. He grunted and had to take a calming breath when the Zetsus finally were removed. They pulled the four bodies in position for Orochimaru to perform the Edo-Tensei. Everything was going according to plan, just like Orochimaru had predicted. 

Sasuke watched in trepidation as the four Hokage rose from the dead right before his eyes. What right did he even have to call upon them, when he just watched how his brother was a victim of the same Jutsu and he tried everything to help him so that he may find his peace? He had listened to Itachi’s words that the dead would be in pain and the living even more so because of that Jutsu. What right did he have to call for the dead and let the living suffer, just because he wasn’t able to find his own peace? 

But he had to do this. He had to talk to them. 

The consciousness returned to the four Hokage in front of him and he watched them snicker and bicker around for a moment until Orochimaru took the word. Sasuke was getting impatient when a fight among the Kage and Orochimaru broke out. It seemed that the war was getting more dangerous and the shinobi who were fighting were going all out. Naruto was there too.    
Even here, Sasuke was able to feel Naruto’s Chakra. He needed to know what he was supposed to do and what his place in all of this actually was. Now that he had lost everything and his purpose in life was taken away from him, he felt like he needed guidance from someone who could also tell him the truth about the past. 

There was a huge Chakra surge and Orochimaru stopped talking. They all watched the Nidaime step closer to one of the walls. “I can feel an enormous Chakra. The war. Two o’clock. We should be going.” 

Sasuke swallowed harshly. His mouth was dry. He had so many questions, but he couldn’t get them out. He looked at the Yondaime who’s eyes were fixed on the Nidaime. His eyes and his mind far away. Sasuke was wondering what the Yondaime was thinking about. 

“I have questions first. Before I can let you go.” 

They nodded in defiance. The first Hokage sat down to tell Sasuke about his life, his brother and a friend… someone that he would meet again very soon. 

** 

Sasuke didn’t know how to feel about all of this. What was that even supposed to mean that the Sharingan reacted strongly to emotions and that the deeper an Uchiha loved the deeper his hate would be. He felt even more confused now than before. But he knew that he couldn’t let it end like this. Had he truly found his answer? Were all Uchiha cursed to fight and be driven mad by the Sharingan? Was there no other way? Would this also be his fate?    
He had to think about his brother and his family. Were they driven into madness as well? He touched his eyes, Itachi’s eyes. Had Itachi suffered that curse that the Kage were talking about as well? Itachi’s eyes were with him now and if Itachi truly had been cursed then he gladly took that curse as well, if it meant being with Itachi again soon.   
When the first Hokage talked about Madara and his brother he couldn’t help but think about Itachi. He felt like his chest was forcefully ripped open. He was feeling so lost without Itachi, even though they hadn’t been apart for so long. He had never thought that he would need someone so much in his life.    
Itachi had been his safe haven when he was a child.    
He had been his driving force when he grew up. Even though he wanted to become stronger to defeat him he had never stopped loving his brother. His lip was quivering and he felt a tear slid down his cheek. He missed Itachi so much he could barely stand this pain. The kindness and the gentle touch of those last moments with his brother were constantly on his mind and tried to stay strong but his facade was cracking.

Maybe the Kage had been right about the madness.

**

The Kage were sprinting to get to the battle as fast as they could. Only the Yondaime told them that he would run ahead, because of his Hiraishin no Jutsu he would make it much faster. He was wondering why the man was still running by his side. 

“Is something bothering you, Yondaime?” Sasuke grunted frustrated. 

“Actually yes, it is. May I ask you something Sasuke-kun?” 

Sasuke nodded and grumbled out an angry ‘yes’. 

The Yondaime smiled at him and Sasuke felt like he was looking at Naruto.

“How old are you?” 

That question was definitely confusing. “I am 17. Why?” 

“I see! That is wonderful. May I ask you another question?” 

Sasuke rolled his eyes and gestured to the other man to go ahead. 

“Thank you Sasuke-kun. I was wondering if you know my son. You are his age… his name is Naruto… he –“ 

Sasuke gasped and his eyes were blown wide. “Your WHAT?” He didn’t even know what to say or how to react to that new piece of information. Of course Naruto had to have parents, but to finally find out that Naruto’s father was **_the_** _Namikaze Minato,_ the legendary Yondaime Hokage, was blowing even his mind. “Yes… I know, I mean… I knew him. We haven’t been in touch lately.” He stammered and averted his eyes from the Kage. “It’s complicated.” 

Minato smiled understandingly. “I see.” 

There was a short silence before Sasuke decided to gather up all his courage in front of the Yondaime. “I have disappointed him. He was my only true friend. We have fought so many times and now I have lost all rights to even call his name.” he sniffed. “I … I only wish to see him one last time and help him, because, you see, your son is a great shinobi. He is good and kind and brave, and he never leaves his friends. He fights for the village that I wanted to destroy. He will be a good Hokage one day, because he touches people’s hearts. He is everything that I am not.” 

Minatos lip was quivering. When he died, he held Kushina in his arms and he was praying that someone would watch over his child. He was praying for someone to take care of Naruto and that he would grow up to be a good man and a great shinobi. As he listened to Sasuke’s words he felt like all his prayers had been answered. “Is he… Is he alright? Does he have friends? Is there someone he likes?” 

Sasuke looked at the Hokage with a sad smile. “I am sorry. I wouldn’t know. The last time we met, we only talked about death…” They fell silent. Sasuke couldn’t look at the Yondaime anymore, he avoided his face. 

“I will head to the battlefield now.” Minato’s hard voice broke the silence. Only seconds later his body was pulled away by the Hiraishin no Jutsu. 

Sasuke watched as the Kage rushed away. He grunted angrily and clenched his fists. He couldn’t change the past now, but he could change the future. 

*


	23. Love in times of war – part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kakashi and Naruto have a long way to go, but they are getting closer.  
> Hayate and Yugao are there to help and FINALLY BEE is back!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, you people, 2 chapters in one night?! I am on fire. LOL  
> I had to work through my writers block,... but a friend helped me and I have finally solved A HUGE problem I had with this story.  
> I am currently working on the next chapters! :) Yeiii  
> I hope you have fun with this one  
> **Lots of feels in this one! Watch out! **  
> Kakashi-Sensei is awesome, and so are kudos and comments. ;)

**What happened in the last part of love in times of war:**

“I am not good with words…” 

“Clearly.” Naruto grinned and cuddled closer. He felt warmth and love all around him as Kakashi put his right arm around Naruto’s shoulder and with his free, left hand he reached for Naruto’s to entwine their fingers. 

“If I survive this war –“ 

“When this war is over,…” Naruto immediately corrected him. “I will make sure that we will go home together. Dattebayo.”

Kakashi smiled and gently kissed the blond hair. “Understood. When this war is over, maybe we can go on a date.” He rubbed his nose in the blond locks and inhaled the sweet scent that he has missed so much. 

“A… A date?” Naruto felt himself blush and squirm against Kakashi’s arms. “Like a real date?” 

Kakashi looked down into wide blue eyes. “I don’t know what a real date constitutes, but I promise that I will find out and take you on one.”

Never in his whole life had he been so happy and excited. He was sure that his heart would explode. “Yes… I would love that.”Naruto turned his face to look at Kakashi. “That’s a promise, Kakashi. So, you must promise not to do anything stupid or reckless in this war! AND when we have our date, you are absolutely forbidden to be late! I am sure that it's not ok to be late when people have dates.”

Kakashi chuckled. “Shouldn’t I be the one asking you not to do anything stupid and reckless?” 

“Kakashi!”

“Yes, Yes. I promise.. and I will try to be on time.” 

“Kakashi!” 

“I will definitely be on time.”

***

*~* Chapter 23 *~*

The troop was only making slow progress on their way towards the front lines. Kakashi felt anxious to move through the woods as they realized that more and more of Kabuto’s Edo-Tensei reanimations started to pop up. He teamed up with Naruto and he had to admit that he enjoyed fighting side by side with his  _ boyfriend _ .

_ Boyfriend - It will take some time to get used to that _ . Kakashi thought and chuckled.

The blond followed him over the battlefield and always kept close to him. He would watch Naruto’s back and he trusted Naruto to watch his back too. Since he had trained with Naruto for so many years and watched him grow, he knew exactly how the other would move. He could predict the other's attacks and he could time his own movements perfectly with Naruto’s. Fighting with Naruto by his side felt exhilarating and calming at the same time. He raced towards the enemy and his Raikiri cut through the shinobi. He jumped back and already felt the familiar power of the Rasengan coming from above him. Naruto winked at him while he pushed the shining Rasengan against their enemy. 

_ That nerve. He should concentrate more on the fight.  _ Kakashi blushed and called for Sai and the sealing team when they had another Edo-Tensei shinobi pinned to the ground. 

“Hold him down Naruto. Sai will be here shortly.” He tried to catch his breath again. 

“No problem. Kakashi are you ok?” 

“Sure. Just need a second to catch my breath.” 

Naruto’s worried face relaxed and redirected his focus on the pinned down shinobi. Sai was running over to them with the rest of the sealing team. “Naruto! Kakashi-san! We are here. Please, let me start with the sealing.” 

“You are just in time Sai. So glad to see you.” Naruto stepped away to give his teammate more space to work and immediately walked up to Kakashi and hugged the Jonin’s arm. He snuggled his face into Kakashi’s vest and without saying anything he let some of his healing Chakra slip into Kakashi. 

Kakashi gasped and looked down at Naruto’s blond head. He saw the sweet blush on his cheeks and almost wanted to scold the younger man but as he watched Naruto’s beautiful blue eyes shyly peaking up at him through his thick lashes he couldn’t even remember why he wanted to scold the blond in the first place. He lifted Naruto’s chin and gently scratched the soft skin which made the younger man purr in delight. 

Kakashi chuckled. “Don’t use that so casually. I am totally fine.” 

Naruto leaned into Kakashi’s touch and grinned embarrassed. “Alright.” He mumbled and gripped Kakashi’s arm a little tighter. 

“Ah! The flames of young love are burning bright  _ My Eternal Rival _ !” Gai came up and heavily slapped Kakashi on his back which made the silver-haired man stumble forward and almost fall onto Sai who was just packing up. 

Naruto held onto Kakashi’s arm, who gasped and just stumbled into Naruto’s arms instead. The blond chuckled amused. “Oh Kakashi, I didn’t know that I make you swoon?” Naruto grinned lewdly and took Kakashi into his arms. 

Kakashi rolled his eyes and stepped away from Naruto. “Gai. What are you doing?” 

“My rival. I just wanted to congratulate you and Naruto-kun for this most glorious fight! I was watching with our comrades and the youthful energy of your teamwork made me so emotional, my friend! Also, I am very glad that you didn’t have to over-exhaust your Sharingan. Naruto-kun seems to take good care of you.” 

Naruto was shaking with excitement and was pumped by Gais words, like always when Gai gave one of his famous motivational speeches, they did wonders on Naruto. Kakashi watched in amusement. He scratched his cheek to hide his grin and just watched while Naruto eagerly nodded. 

“Yes! Yes, Gai-Sensei! I promise that I will always take good care of Kakashi! And the fight was awesome! Did you see how Kakashi came at that guy with his Raikiri and I followed him and took that Edo-Guy out with my Rasengan?!” Kakashi felt Gai’s excitement peak as he jumped at Naruto and took the younger man into his arms. He turned his head away and snickered as he couldn’t stand to watch those two idiots anymore. He loved Naruto and his best friend dearly but, oh man, he didn’t have the nerve for so much manly love right now.

“YES, Naruto-kun! That is the spirit, my friend! Finally, my lonesome, loveless, lazy rival has someone, who will help him find his youthful spirit of love! Haha!” Gai laughed and hugged Naruto enthusiastically which was returned just as enthusiastic by the blond. “YES, GAI-SENSEIII!!”

Kakashi groaned and tried to hide his face in his hands as he watched many confused shinobi gather around them. One of them was Sai. “I thought that Kakashi-san and Naruto-kun were in a relationship? Why does Naruto-kun need to help you find some kind of lovespirit? Is that another tradition or a metaphor for sex? I don’t understand.” The other members of the troop who had by now gathered around them gaped at Sai and even more so, they looked at Kakashi. Kakashi groaned.  _ Well, the cats out of the bag now anyway. No reason to hide this any longer. _ Kakashi thought. He wished that they could have kept this hidden a little longer. The war was raging around them and now they would be faced with even more trouble, Kakashi was sure about that. “Sai…Thank you for helping us go public with our relationship.” The silver-haired man looked at the ex-Anbu with a slightly annoyed face. 

Sai tried to think about what he just said and what happened. Did he do something wrong? Did he say something that might have offended Kakashi-san or even worse, Naruto? He just didn’t know anything about relationships or metaphors. He grimaced and bowed deeply before Kakashi. “I am sorry if I may have said something wrong, Kakashi-san, Naruto-kun!” 

Naruto realized that something had happened just a few seconds after he watched Sai’s apology. Sai wanted to bow down, but Naruto grabbed his friend’s shoulders and stopped his movement. He pulled him into a tight embrace. “Why are you apologizing, Baka. Of course, it could have happened under more ideal circumstances that everyone found out about Kakashi and I, but you know, sooner or later people would have found out anyway. I love Kakashi and I wouldn’t wanna hide that anyway. Please don’t worry, Sai.” 

Kakashi was kind of stressing out about how this would play out. Naruto was seeing only the light sides of this, because he had talked with Gai, Yamato and his two close friends, but that wouldn’t automatically mean that everybody would approve of their relationship. Of course, most people in their squad already knew about them, because of Naruto’s appearance the day, in which he loudly declared his undying love for Kakashi. 

Naruto was still focusing on Sai as they quietly talked, Kakashi was trying to figure out the feelings and overall emotions of the shinobi around them. Kakashi groaned. That was terrible. He felt the guilt creeping up again and when his eyes wandered over to Naruto’s beautiful, brilliant smile he almost couldn’t take it. He felt his instincts flare up and he just wanted to get away as quickly as possible. Of course, he loved Naruto. He loved him more than anything. He just had to look at him and he felt alive and happy. His hands were shaking, and he bit his lip. When he turned his face away and got ready to run, he suddenly felt a tight grip on his hand. 

“Where do you think you’re going?” Naruto’s voice betrayed him. He sounded worried and insecure. “Are you angry? Is it because of what I said earlier? Maybe I shouldn’t have said it so loud, but I really meant it. I am not ashamed, Dattebayo. I love you Kakashi, and you said … ‘whatever happens’. We are…  _ together _ , right?” Kakashi turned around and he couldn’t help it. He pulled Naruto into his arms. Cheek to cheek and chest to chest. Naruto’s arms wrapped around Kakashi’s body. “Yes. That’s right.” 

Naruto’s body relaxed against Kakashi’s and the older one took a deep breath. He felt the eyes of the other shinobi burning into his back, but he didn’t care. His fingers dug into the fabric of Naruto’s jacket and tried to bury the anxiety he felt. Naruto’s arms felt safe and warm around him.

“Kakashi? Would you please stop thinking so loud? It’s driving me nuts. Dattebayo.” 

“Excuse me – What?” 

“I know you. I know that you are on a guilt trip right now. Which is so stupid and completely unnecessary. I love you and I want to be with you, ‘tebayo! So, where is the problem?” 

Kakashi gaped at him, trying to unknot his brain. “I don’t know... I was just worried about reactions.” 

“The only reactions you should ever worry about should be mine. If you try to run away from me one more time, I will hunt you down and tie you up.” Naruto huffed and put his hands on his hips while he pouted at the Jonin in front of him. 

Kakashi hugged his cute little blond closer to him and felt a dirty grin dance over his masked lips. “Aww, Naru-chan, you wanna tie me up? That’s so  _ lewd  _ and  _ kinky _ . I didn’t know you liked things like that. But we can talk about that, maybe when our relationship has progressed a little? I can give you my _ Icha Icha Collection _ to read, for inspiration!” 

“Ero-Bakakashi!” Naruto’s face was glowing with a blush and he went for a punch, which Kakashi was dodging easily. “Youuuu….” Naruto grabbed the green jacket and shook Kakashi, who was still too amused by Naruto’s embarrassment. He had completely forgotten about the other shinobi that were gathered around them. Only Naruto was able to make him feel like this. He was completely thrown into Naruto’s gravity. All the chaos that has ruled his heart and his mind has disappeared. 

Naruto seemed to finally remember that they weren’t as alone as he wished and looked around himself. He blushed even more when he saw that the confused and questioning faces have transformed into a snickering and laughing crowd. He let go of Kakashi’s jacket and reached for his hand which gave him a little bit more security.    
It was just like when he talked with Lee and Sai –  _ just that those two are my good friends _ – Naruto thought. He had hoped that his friends would accept their relationship, but he couldn’t predict how a random group of strangers would feel about this. He looked around and his eyes fell to a group of Konoha shinobi which he recognized from fighting against Orochimaru and Pain. 

Two men and four women looked at Kakashi and Naruto with a knowing smirk. One of the women with beautiful long purple-ish hair walked up to Kakashi, followed by a tired looking man, with a sword on his back. “Yo, Kakashi-san. I can’t believe you actually did it!” The woman was beautiful, and she seemed pretty enthusiastic as she walked up to them. The man who followed her, tightly held onto her hand and somehow it seemed like he hadn’t slept in years. There was a certain familiarity between Kakashi and the woman. Naruto only vaguely remembered them. The way she greeted Kakashi and the way the man smiled at him, made Naruto think about a time before Kakashi became his teacher. Gai had told him about that and it made him cringe. Was she one of those people that Gai was referring to, when he was talking about  _ experience _ ? His hand gripped Kakashi’s a little tighter when a wave of possessiveness hit him. He tried not to be jealous, but the woman was beautiful. Her long purple hair was flowing over her back and her dark eyes were shining.

Kakashi was shifting from one leg onto the other and tried to hide how uncomfortable he felt. He scratched his head. “Mah, Yugao-san, Hayate-san… Please… Keep it down.” 

_ Yugao. She even has a pretty name! urg… _ Naruto felt like he was ready to explode.  _ And who’s that guy next to her? They are holding hands. Friend, boyfriend, Husband? Please let it be her husband. I don’t share…. Don’t look at my man! _

Yugao giggled and looked between Kakashi and Naruto. “You want me to keep it down, when you’ve just announced the end of your bachelor days to the entire shinobi world!?! Ha!” Hayate chuckled quietly at the enthusiasm of his wife and nodded towards Kakashi. “Hello, Naruto-kun. We met very briefly during Orochimaru’s attack on Konoha. My name is Hayate and this is my wife Yugao.” Hayate knew that look on Naruto’s face very well, because it was the same look, he gave every other man when they were looking at his beloved Yugao. He was a jealous man by nature, so he immediately understood the possessive grip on Kakashi’s hand and the insecure look in the younger man’s eyes. Hayate wanted to take pity on the young shinobi and make sure that Naruto knew, there was no reason to worry. “She’s just excited.” 

Naruto nodded at them and smiled happily.  _ That Hayate-guy seems nice. _

Yugao smiled at Naruto. “Well you see, everyone in the village kind of was betting on you two being in a relationship or that you soon would be in a relationship. Especially after you two moved in together. I have to say, Kakashi, that surprised me. You aren’t the most sociable man and that you moved in with Naruto so quickly…” she grinned at her ex-Anbu comrade lewdly. She winked at him and Kakashi was blushing. They were chatting away and Naruto was getting really comfortable with the other couple, when Naruto suddenly realized that Kakashi's whole posture was radiating discomfort. 

“Can this be the end of our conversation? That’s none of your business after all, Yugao.” The Jonin grumbled. “Gai!” he felt irritated and angrily called for his friend who eagerly jogged over to Kakashi. “We have to talk about our next moves.” He harshly pulled his hand away from Naruto and stomped away. He pulled Gai to a safe distance to talk about the next moves of the troop and how they could reach the front lines. 

*

Naruto watched Kakashi stomp away and he was confused by the man’s sudden departure and his harsh behavior. To be honest he was glad that Kakashi’s friends were so open minded. They even seemed happy about their relationship. Naruto wasn’t sure what the problem was. He watched Kakashi pull Gai away and a sigh left his lungs. Did he do something wrong? Maybe he shouldn’t have been so enthusiastic about their relationship… Kakashi was a very private man after all. 

“Don’t worry, Naruto. Kakashi tended to be very brooding and closed off, even when he was a young boy. I have never seen him so open and happy though. When he is with you, he seems completely changed. I have never heard him laugh or joke around like that.” Yugao gently touched Naruto’s shoulder. Her touch seemed to pull him out of his thoughts. He turned back to look at Yugao. 

“How do you know Kakashi so well?” 

Yugao shifted from one leg to the other and scrunched up her lips. She looked over to the silver haired man and pointed her finger at her husband and the other Konoha shinobi behind her. They were huddled together and took this moment of peace to rest after the fight. “We were in the academy together and I was in Kakashi’s Anbu squad. He was my team leader until he left the Anbu, to take a Genin team. Well, seems like Kakashi- _ Sensei  _ made a very wise decision there right, Naruto-kuuun?” The dirty grin on Yugao’s face made Naruto blush and he tried to turn away, but Yugao draped her arm around his shoulders. 

“You shouldn’t be ashamed. It’s not like you are the first Genin who has a crush on his Sensei. And Kakashi shouldn’t make such a fuss, it’s not like he is the first  _ Sensei  _ who started a relationship with his student… “ She giggled when Hayate gave her a pointed look. “He’s not!” 

Naruto’s jaw fell down. That was a  _ very  _ open and relaxed way to view their relationship.    
“It’s not just a crush…” He murmured, bewildered by Yugao’s temperament. Yugao started rattling on about different men and women he had never heard about who were in various relationships and Naruto just realized again who utterly clueless he really was when it came to sex.    
“We are not?” He asked. 

“Oh please. Why do you think everyone reacted so easy and laughed when we saw you two together? Well, to be completely honest with you, it’s mostly because everyone was suspecting something was going on between you two anyway.” She chuckled when she ruffled his blond hair. “And how could anyone  _ resist _ ? You are really cute.” 

“Yugao-san!” Naruto blushed even more and tried to hide his red cheeks in his hands. “That is really embarrassing!” 

“Oh? Guess it really **_is_** hard to resist?” Yugao blinked a few times and pulled her hand away. “So… He hasn’t touched you yet?” 

Naruto froze and looked at the woman in front of him with a horrified expression. Was this what Gai-Sensei was talking about? Kakashi’s experience? What had he done with the other people he had been with and why was Yugao-san so surprised that Kakashi hadn’t touched him yet? Maybe that was a bad sign? Maybe it was a good sign? What does it all mean?! Naruto was freaking out at this point and felt his hands getting sweaty and his pulse was getting a little faster. 

“Why? Is that weird?” He asked shyly. “Tsunade sent me away, with Gai-Sensei, Yamato-Taicho and Aoba-san, and we were separated for several weeks. We only met again for a few hours when Kakashi got a fake SOS from Gai-Sensei and he couldn’t even stay long. We just kissed and then he left again.” Naruto grumbled and fumbled with his fingers. “I don’t know if he is holding back. I’ve never had a relationship before, but I love Kakashi. I just don’t wanna disappoint him, because I know that he has so much more experience than I do.” He looked to the ground and tried to avert Yugao’s and Hayate’s eyes. 

The couple was looking at the young shinobi fondly. Yugao remembered Anbu missions when Kakashi would lead them through assassinations, long fights, and lonely nights in caves when their team would huddle together to stay warm. Miles and miles away from Konoha, but Kakashi would always protect them and make sure that their team would get back to their families and their loved ones. Yugao knew that she could trust Kakashi as her leader, but she also saw the loneliness in his eyes whenever they returned to the village. She never said anything when she saw him wander through the village, a woman from the streets following the copy-nin to his doorstep. Even a man like Kakashi, who liked his solitude and his privacy, needed to feel the touch of human warmth sometimes. 

“I think it just means that you are very special to him and that he treasures you more than anything else. Giving a relationship time to bloom and to explore each other is just one way of many, to show the other person how much someone cares.” Hayate quietly said from behind Yugao. “Don’t worry about such things as experience, I have never been with anyone else but Yugao, and she married me. You will be ok, Naruto-kun.” 

“Thank you, Hayate-san!” His heart felt light as he smiled brightly at the other man. “That’s super romantic by the way! Dattebayo!” 

Yugao giggled and took her husband's hand into hers. “It is.” She leaned closer to Hayate and quickly kissed his cheek. 

Kakashi suddenly called for the troops. They had two more Edo-Tensei shinobi that they would have to take care of which meant that they had to contact headquarters and after that they quickly had to move forward. Kakashi waited for everyone to get close enough to listen to his next orders. 

Naruto followed Yugao and Hayate to listen to Kakashi’s instructions. He pulled at Yuugaos sleeve. “You knew him pretty well, right?” 

Yugao thought it was cute that the young shinobi wanted to know more about Kakashi. Yugao nodded and tried to remember her Anbu times. She left Anbu when Hayate finally had been brave enough to ask her to marry him. She decided that it would be better to stay with Hayate and they decided to take missions together in a Jonin squad. She grabbed Hayate’s hand and gently squeezed it. She had almost lost him during the attacks of the Suna shinobi, but he made it through. She never felt so helpless and scared before. Loving someone so much could change a person, and she witnessed such a change come over Kakashi as well. 

“While Kakashi was our Anbu Captain he was going through a hard time. I am sure that you know about that?” She waited for a moment to make sure that the blond was on the same page before she continued. She saw the blond nod, so she continued. “I remember the way he did missions back then. He was ruthless. He went through the enemies like they were made of paper. He cut them down without a second glance.” She stopped moving when she realized that Naruto stopped a few steps behind them. “Those were hard times for him. Kakashi was never really good at working through feelings and emotions… I am sure that you realized that? But what I have witnessed over the past few years is that he changed a lot… He’s happy. You make him happy, and I am so thankful that he has found someone who can make him smile again.” 

Naruto quickly rubbed at his eyes and tried to hide how much those words meant to him. He knew from his talks with Gai-Sensei and Yamato-Taicho that Kakashi was going through a lot of shit when he was younger, but he would make sure that after this war was over, there was going to be no more sadness for his man. 

“Thank you, Yugao-san.” He sniffed and together they quickly made their way over to where Kakashi and Gai were preparing to tell everybody how they would continue. 

**

Kakashi watched Yugao and Hayate with scrutinizing looks. He wasn’t sure what to make of this situation. 

“Kakashi, I know you for as long as we both live and I think I have a pretty good idea what is going on in that genius brain of yours right now, my rival.” Gai quietly said, while they were leaning over the maps to determine which route would be better. 

Kakashi groaned. “Well since you know me for so long, you should know that I really don’t wanna talk about this right now. Actually, I would prefer to never talk about this.” Which was of course impossible and silly. Kakashi was aware of this but he felt overwhelmed by this entire situation. A few weeks ago, this was just a silent whisper between Naruto and him, a kiss in the dark and a promise of what might never actually happen, because Kakashi thought that he probably wouldn’t survive this war. Of course, Gai knew about them, because Gai knew everything about him and he told Gai everything, but that was something else compared to a whole platoon knowing about them. My god. He groaned. 

“Gai… We are in the middle of a war… this is not the time or place for something like this!” 

“Well, I have to disagree with you Kakashi. Even in times like this… Maybe  _ especially  _ in times like this you have to be brave and honest with your feelings. I know that it’s not easy for you, my friend, but Naruto was honest to you when he said that he wants to be with you and that he doesn’t care what others think. Don’t you think that maybe your reaction earlier was a bit harsh?”

Kakashi looked down at the maps and clenched his fists. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to regain his focus. “My reaction?” 

Gai moved closer to Kakashi. “Well. Yugao and Hayate were in the academy with us. They know you for a very long time, don’t you think so Kakashi? Maybe they just wanted to be friendly and tell you that they approve and how happy they are for you? You know how excited Yugao can get… It’s just her personality. She was on your Anbu squad too, wasn’t she?” 

Kakashi was fumbling with his fingers and listened intently to Gai’s words. Every time he found himself in a dilemma he would talk to Gai, because even though his best friend was a loud and crazy person, he would always give the best advice and help him through the hardest times. He would listen to Kakashi’s problems and he would always help him get up again when he was on his knees. Gai had seen him at his lowest, when he wasn’t able to get out of bed and when he wasn’t able to find the will to go on living. It had been Gai, who simply grabbed him and dragged him out and screamed at him that he wouldn’t permit Kakashi giving up like that. He came every damn day and dragged Kakashi out of bed. Gai’s nature and their challenges helped him through his darkest days. After losing his family, his team and his Sensei, he realized that all he had left was Gai. Gai became his family. Gai was his best friend - someone who would never abandon him. 

“Yes. Yes, she was.” Kakashi said quietly. “Maybe…” he said contemplating Gai’s words. Kakashi remembered his father was often telling him when he was a child, to be kinder to people, because he was behaving harshly or rude. That was due to his inability to understand other children’s emotions and feelings. Only Gai was stubborn enough to stick around, when they were younger. Gai seemed to understand that Kakashi had trouble with the full complexity of human emotions. It wasn’t getting much better when his father took his own life. He felt that he only closed his heart off even more. When Obito, Rin, Minato-Sensei and Kushina-san came into his life he finally understood that depending on someone and taking care of other people wasn’t necessarily bad. Maybe that was what his father was always talking about. When he was a young boy, it was so hard for him to just slow down and listen to Obito rant and listen to Rins emotional outbursts, what her girlfriends did the last weekends. He found it stupid and boring.    
But he realized that he got used to it and once their boisterous, loud, kind and sweet voices were quiet, never to annoy Kakashi again, he only understood how much he actually cared for them. Kushina was always yelling at Obito because she loved the boy so much and Minato-Sensei was only scolding Kakashi so much because he cared about him. Kakashi had been a stupid, arrogant brat.    
When he looked at Naruto though, who had also experienced great trauma when he was younger, he was completely perplexed, how easy it seemed to be for the blond shinobi to grasp people’s emotions and simply walk up to people he just met. Yugao and Hayate for example, Kakashi knew those two for as long as he could remember but it made him very uncomfortable to think that his friends knew about his relationship. That was not because he was ashamed of Naruto. It was because he wasn’t able to navigate through all those emotions he was feeling very well.    
Most of all he felt like a battle ground wasn’t the time nor place to talk about relationships or love. He was a practical man and he felt like they should focus on the things ahead. The front lines were only a few hours away, and they had to prepare for what was to come. Yugao wanting to talk about his relationship was irritating him, because it took his focus away, and it was a fact that even more of Kabuto's Edo-Tensei shinobi could attack them any moment. 

“I know that she didn’t mean anything bad by it. But we are in a dire situation. Even you must see it? I just think that this is not the right moment to talk about this.” He pulled the maps closer to him and tried to figure out which way they should go. 

Gai huffed and watched his friend a little worried. He knew that behavior very well. “Kakashi, don’t you think that maybe your friends were just happy and excited to see Naruto arrive last night, because the situation was getting worse and worse… More and more of Kabuto’s dead shinobi were attacking and suddenly our young friend arrived and like always he ‘ _ takes care of things _ ’. And you may not have noticed, because like Naruto put it so well ‘you were on one of your guilt trips’, nobody was saying anything against your relationship, my friend.” Gai reached out and squeezed his shoulder encouragingly. 

Kakashi grunted and his form slumped against Gai’s shoulder. “This…  _ this – “  _ He was gesturing around. “- is so much easier for him than it is for me.” 

Gai chuckled. “Why do you think that? Didn’t you see how his hands were shaking when he reached out to you?” 

Kakashi’s head turned quickly and with his visible eye wide blown he looked at Gai. His friend huffed and gently patted Kakashis’ shoulder. 

“For someone who is called a genius, you miss a lot, Kakashi. That is not like you, my friend.” 

Kakashi touched his forehead and ruffled his hair when took a deep breath. Gai was right, he assumed that the ‘emotion-area’ was much easier for Naruto than it was for him. He felt like he was in constant struggle with himself and with his surroundings and he didn’t quite know what to do. He was sure of his feelings for Naruto, his racing heart made sure to remind him of that, but how to handle emotions and how to convey them in a vocal and sensible way … that was hard. He hadn’t given much thought how Naruto felt when the young shinobi confessed his love so openly or when Naruto reached out to Kakashi. He felt like a huge idiot… He didn’t think how Naruto might have felt when he pushed his hand away. 

“You are right, Gai. Thank you.” He whispered. Slightly ashamed and so thankful that Gai was always at his side when he needed him most. 

“Let’s get back to those maps, we need to find out where exactly we are and how we get to the front lines. We also need to contact headquarters to inform them that we have caught another one and that Naruto is with us now and that he will move with us.” Kakashi gestured to one of the shinobi to come closer to him and ordered him to send a message to headquarters. The young woman quickly departed and set onto her task. Kakashi called for another iwa-nin who was given the task to call everyone together. They would have to tell everyone that they would get some rest now. In an hour their troop would move forward and join the troops at the front lines. 

**

Kakashi tried to make sure that everyone was as ready as they possibly could be. They had a relatively long way ahead of them and he felt anxious. They had discussed the route and everybody was glad that they were able to get a quick break before they would join the actual battle. 

Kakashi moved at the front and looked at the many faces behind him. Brave women and men that were ready to fight for their villages. He lifted his hand – a sign to get ready to move. Naruto and Gai were by his side and they got ready to move as well. Kakashi started running and the troop followed their leader. 

*

“Naruto?” Kakashi called over the wind that was howling over his ears while they were running. 

“Yes?” The blond answered. He was surprised that Kakashi suddenly wanted to talk to him. 

“We will join the forces soon and I don’t know how the battlefield is going to turn out, but I want you to be careful. Please. If Madara tries anything with the Kyuubi – “ 

Naruto cut off that sentence and angrily huffed. “It won’t happen.” But he was going soft immediately after the words left him. Kakashi was only worried for him. “I know you worry about me. I will be careful, but you have to promise me the same. Don’t overuse the Sharingan.” 

“I will try.” 

They left the woods behind them and were now crossing into harsh stony territory. The wind was getting warmer and harsher. It was billowing around them and it was cutting into Kakashi’s skin. He raced through the rocky cliffs and jumped from one rock to the next. He felt his comrades running after him and Gai was close behind him. Naruto was right next to him and his familiar warm Chakra signature was soothing his nerves. The war was getting closer and he could almost taste the blood and the steel on his lips. He could almost hear the screams and the fighting all around him. The war would drench the earth red with blood. He could already see it. The wind was borrowed freedom that was taking him to a place of death. He had seen and lived through war before, but Naruto hadn’t, and he wished that Naruto wouldn’t have to see any of this. Naruto was such a kindhearted person; he wasn’t sure if he would be able to stand this. 

Maybe Gai had been right when he said that he had been too harsh. 

“Naruto? I am sorry that I pushed you away earlier…” 

Naruto smiled tenderly at the other man and his hand reached out to him. Kakashi felt his heart starting to race. He remembered Gai’s words and he quickly reached out to grasp Naruto’s hand in his own. 

“I know, you huge idiot. I am sorry I made you feel uncomfortable though… “ 

“You didn’t. But this is a lot… and this war… you understand?” 

Naruto squeezed his hand while they raced through the cliffs. He tried to keep his eyes firmly on the way ahead not to miss any potential danger they could run into. 

“I do. I feel the same. I just wanted to make sure that you know how I feel for you, especially because of this war… Everybody is so on the edge. “

Kakashi looked at him for a moment, before focusing his attention back on the road ahead. “I guess so.” 

Naruto chuckled. Kakashi had never been never a man of many words, but that was fine with him. He loved Kakashi just like he was. The feeling of Kakashi’s warm hand, tightly holding his own, was all he needed to feel secure. It told him all that he needed to know. Even though the wind was harsh on their faces and the territory they were running through was not giving them any coverage, the shinobi bravely made their way through the valleys with the intent to get to their comrades who were already fighting against the enemies. Naruto could clearly feel the Chakra signatures of Shikamaru, Ino and Choji, Kiba and Hinata. He wanted to get to them as soon as possible.    
**

Suddenly Naruto felt Bee’s Chakra closing in on them rapidly and he grinned. “Bee is coming!” He suddenly yelled and dropped Kakashi’s hand. Naruto stopped abruptly and excitedly looked around. Kakashi stopped as well and gestured to the other shinobi to wait for a moment. Everyone stopped and looked questioningly at Kakashi, Gai and Naruto. 

“What’s going on, Kakashi-Taicho?” Hayate called who was close behind the Jonin. 

“Naruto said that Bee-san is close by. He will probably join us soon.” Kakashi answered in his usual calm manner. “Hayate-san, Yugao-san, please tell the others that we will wait for Bee-san and then continue to the frontlines.” Hayate and Yugao simply nodded and turned to the others to tell them what was going on. 

“Naruto how close is Bee?” 

Naruto dropped to the floor and let the natural energy flow through him to slip into Sage-Mode. When the blond opened golden eyes and happily looked at Kakashi, the Jonin couldn’t help but blush hard. Sage-Mode was making Naruto look … hot. He had to admit that he was glad that the toads made Naruto study the ways of the Sages. Naruto’s eyes were fixed on Kakashi for a moment and lewdly grinned at the silver-haired man, before he got up and looked around seemingly trying to find Bee-san. 

“Ah!” He called. “Bee!!” He simply jumped away and left a confused Kakashi behind.

“Naruto!” Kakashi yelled and immediately raced after the blond without a second thought. 

Gai shook his head watching those two idiots race after each other was hilarious. He called over his shoulder to notify Hayate that he would be following the two lovebirds and that Hayate would have the command over the troops while he and Kakashi were gone. He wanted to make sure that they would return safely. He heard loud snickering from his fellow shinobi and happily took off after Kakashi.

**

Bee was finally making progress. 

_ Are you sure that this is the right direction to find Naruto?  _

**Yes. I can feel Naruto and the Kyuubi. We need to follow that path.**

_ Ok-ey! _

The Jinchuriki raced through the valleys and hoped that he would find his young friend soon enough. After they were stopped by the Raikage, his brother made sure to give him an earful about how irresponsible his behavior was and how disappointed he was. He wanted Bee to stay on the island and that he was also very disappointed that he not only let Naruto leave the island, but that he also left the island with him to join this idiotic quest. Bee huffed angrily. His brother was harsh on the outside and easily tended to throw punches around but on the inside, he was a soft guy. Otherwise he wouldn’t have let Naruto go to join Kakashi. It was a secret that only Bee knew about his brother but the Raikage had a soft spot for love stories of all kinds. That’s why he had let Naruto go so easily. He was probably still raging to Tsunade about his stupid irresponsibly brother and that blond Baka and he scream around something like ‘ _ This will have consequences Tsunade _ !’, but… on the inside he probably hoped that Naruto reached Kakashi-san safely. 

Suddenly he felt a strong up flaring of Chakra and he grinned. The Hachibi also chuckled madly in excitement. 

_ Naruto. _

**Naruto.**

**That must have been a signal in which direction we should go, Bee. He is close by and he probably felt your Chakra! Follow him!**

“Yosh!”

The Jinchuriki yelled and raced towards the source of Naruto’s Chakra. 

**

“Naruto! Slow down! Where are we going?!” Kakashi had trouble keeping up with Naruto’s speed. He saw how excited the blond was and after he picked up his speed again it was getting harder to follow the young shinobi. 

“Bee is close and I wanna get to him as fast as possible! Dattebayooo!” He yelled over the howling winds.

“Alright, alright. Could you at least tell me if he is clo - ” Suddenly a loud yell ended their conversation and Naruto was punched into the ground. Kakashi was getting ready to defend his young lover against any foe but he only heard loud laughing and when the smoke had cleared, he saw another man on  _ top _ of Naruto. Another man…. was sitting… on top of …  _ his _ Naruto. He frowned and clenched his fists. What the f… ? 

Naruto laughed and cuddled into Bee’s embrace. “Beeee!! You found me, Dattebayoooo!” The older Jinchiriki laughed and ruffled Naruto’s hair. He jokingly poked Naruto’s arm and pulled away from his fellow Jinchuriki. “You’re easy to find, kid.” He got up and took Naruto’s hand to help the younger one up. They grinned at each other and for a second it seemed like they were in their own little word. 

Kakashi felt like an intruder when he stepped up to them and coughed. They looked at him and Naruto chuckled a little embarrassed. “Ahaha, Kakashi, you haven’t met Bee before, have you? He’s also a Jinchuriki. Like me!” His eyes were shining. “He’s the Jinchuriki of the Hachibi and he is super cool and he trained with me on the island to master the Kyuubi’s Chakra and we are kinda like best buddies now, right Bee?” Naruto’s blushing face made Kakashi a little uneasy and he felt the jealousy from before spike dangerously. Obviously, Bee-san was important to Naruto but what the hell happened on that island and why were those two so close? Hugging and Cuddling? Kakashi didn’t quite know how to feel about that.

Gai had finally caught up with the little group and acknowledged Bee-san with a wide smile. He couldn’t keep in his laugh when he saw his rival frown at Naruto and Bee who were locked in a tight embrace. Naruto was rambling, but he was very excited that Bee was back and that Kakashi was finally meeting Bee as well, because the older Jinchuriki had helped him so much. 

Kakashi eyed the other man skeptically. It sounded like that guy had a huge impact on his boyfriend, and he would determine if he liked that or not. He would definitely find out everything about that Bee… everything… “Bee-san. Nice to meet you.” Kakashi bowed politely and held out his hand. 

“Ah! Kakashi, my eternal rival! To see this day, when your youthful heart is tightly gripped with jealousy! What a glorious day!” With as much enthusiasm as he could he showed Kakashi a thumbs up which made Kakashi sigh in defeat. Gai patted his friend on his back.

“What’s going on?” Naruto didn’t catch what was going on between Kakashi and Gai-Sensei, because he was too excited that Bee was back and that they would finally be fighting together. 

Bee looked at Kakashi and pointed at the silver-haired Jonin. “So… that’s your lover boy?” 

Naruto’s cheeks turned flaming red. “Bee!” 

“Excuse me… what?” Kakashi probably looked as confused as he felt. The whole situation was too much for the Jonin.

Gai was trying not to burst out in hysterical laughter when his eternal rival was called lover-boy. Kakashi was a very attractive man, and many women and men were weak to his charms but never in their lives was he called a lover-boy. Kakashi looked at him with an icy glare which only made the green beast of Konoha snicker even more.“Gai, stop that!” 

“I am sorry my rival.” 

Bee went on and on about what happened on the island. “Naruto was talking a lot about you when we were training on the island. ‘Kakashi was doing this, Kakashi is like that, Kakashi likes that….” Gai could only nod fondly. Naruto’s dailies ‘Kakashi’s monologues’ were indeed a fond and  _ funny  _ memory.

“Bee stop that!” Naruto jumped on Bees back and tried to make the older Jinchuriki stop talking by holding his hand over the talkative man’s mouth. They were struggling for a few moments until Bee grabbed Naruto and wrestled him down. “I am just glad that I didn’t have the room next to you. ‘Ah! Kakashi-Senseiiii Ahh!’ Haha!” The Jinchuriki imitated Naruto’s moans and laughed hysterically when Naruto blushed even more. “That… Bee! I didn’t… Urg, please don’t listen to this Kakashi!” 

Kakashi didn’t even know what he was looking at or listening to anymore, but, to be honest, he was intrigued about the last part. “Sounded like you missed me, Naru-chan.” He grinned lewdly. He felt a little better now that he knew that Naruto was ‘ _ thinking’ _ about him. He would definitely ask Naruto about that later on.

Naruto pushed the other Jinchuriki off him and got up. He hastily brushed the sand and dirt of his pants and miserably looked at Bee, who was still highly amused. 

Bee held out his fist and told Kakashi to bump fist with him. “This is how we greet each other.” The Jonin shrugged and bumped their fists together. “Yo. Kakashi, I am Bee, the Jinchuriki of the Hachibi.” He was starting to rap which confused Kakashi, but Naruto came to the rescue. “He’s always raping, that’s his thing.” The blond laughed at Kakashi’s confused expression. 

“I see. Well, now that we have found Bee-san, I think it would be better to move. Let’s hurry.” Everyone agreed and together they moved towards the final battle.

***


	24. love in times of war - part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The battle against their enemy starts and Kakashi has to protect the one he loves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Damn it Kakashi, why can't you just listen to your boyfriend!?  
> Thank you so much for leaving comments! They mean a lot to me :D  
> Here's the next chapter :)

They were on their way back to Hayate and the others, and after some time they reached the outskirts of a forest, that they had seen when they were looking for Bee. They slowed down. The maps had been correct. Kakashi looked over his shoulder at Gai, Naruto and Bee. None of them knew what would happen, once they'd crossed the green land and when they’d finally reached their destination. Maybe some of the friends they’d made today wouldn’t be with them tomorrow, but he knew that all of his comrades would fight bravely and with all they got. He turned back and looked at Naruto’s profile. The blond was catching up with him fast and was now running next to him. With just as much determination like the others, maybe even more, he was racing towards the battle. 

The trees were blurring next to him as Kakashi jumped from one branch to the next and he kept a close eye on Gai and Naruto who were flanking his sides. Bee was following close to Naruto. Naruto had decided to only use the Bijuu-Mode from the moment they had entered the forest, because the closer they got to the front the more nervous he got. Everyone felt that way. Kakashi could understand that feeling.  
Suddenly a group of seven people came racing directly towards them. Everybody got ready for a fight but Kakashi’s heart raced when he saw a masked man in the middle of their group. He tried to stop everyone but of course Naruto rushed forward and didn’t listen to Kakashi’s desperate cry. “Naruto! Stop!” 

The blond saw the masked man and simply charged at him with all he had. His head crashed into the mask. For a second Kakashi felt his blood freeze. He got ready to charge right after Naruto but the blond was pushed back, and the Jonin wasted no time but jumped and caught Naruto mid flight in his arms. “Naruto, are you alright?” His arms wrapped tightly around Naruto’s body as he landed back on a branch in a relatively safe distance from the masked man.

“Yes… I am fine.” 

“You remember that talk we had about stupid things and being more careful, right?” Kakashi heatedly whispered while keeping a close eye on this new enemy that suddenly turned up. 

“I am sorry.” Naruto’s hand gently touched Kakashi’s arms that were still wrapped around his torso.

“Naruto, you fool. Chill out a little.” Bee said, who had finally caught up with the couple and stepped up next to Naruto. 

Meanwhile, Gai stayed on the ground and kept a close eye on the masked man from where he stood. He wished that Hayate and the others were here, but they were probably still where they had split up. He groaned – this was not going according to plan. 

*

The masked man jumped to another branch. He watched Kakashi closely. The man with the Sharingan. Kakashi the copy-nin. He had heard all the famous stories that people all over the world told about Hatake Kakashi. He looked at the blond that held onto Kakashi with a tight loving grip. He saw the blue eyes looking at the silver-haired shinobi with devotion and longing. Naruto, the Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi. They looked at each other like lovers would. It made him sick. Kakashi didn’t deserve it. He would take that away from him. He would make him suffer. He would take the Jinchuriki from him and make him bleed in front of Kakashi’s eyes and then … at the end … he would slowly kill that brat.  
Kakashi held him in his arms so tenderly, so full of affection he almost couldn’t stand to watch. Naruto… That disgusting little Jinchuriki was Kakashi’s lover it seemed. Well, that would be so much better because then he would be able to show Kakashi what it would be like to lose the one you truly love. He stood up and glared at the couple with hatred burning in his Sharingan. He would squeeze that brat’s life out of him and he would watch Hatake Kakashi suffer. He lifted his hand and the six men and women people that he had traveled with, jumped down from the branch. They got ready to attack. 

“I hope that was not the full power of the Kyuubis Chakra? Because then it would be way too easy to kill you, Jinchuriki-brat.” He whispered. His voice was full of venom and hate. “Get him.” He gestured with his hand and the Edo-Tensei reanimations of the six dead Jinchuriki moved forward to attack. 

*

Kakashi had to think and act quickly when they got ready to fight. 

**That’s Yugito. She was a Jinchuriki. And that’s the Mizukage, he was a Jinchuriki too. That could have easily happened to you too. Bee. You and Naruto should be careful. You should tell Kakashi-san what you are up against.** The Hachibi was carefully speaking to warn his host.

 **That might be true, but they were stupid enough to get caught.** Kurama groaned and his deep voice echoed in Naruto’s mind. 

“What the f…!” Naruto screamed. “Are we all talking now?!” 

Kakashi turned to look at him with a confused expression. “I didn’t say anything. Who’s talking?” 

“The Bijuu’s are talking. They can talk with each other when we are very close to each other.” Bee said unfaced.

Kakashi shrugged and simply took that information as it was. By now he was used to weird or crazy stuff that was happening around his boyfriend. “Anything else I should be made aware of before this starts?” 

“They are all Jinchuriki. The ones that the Akatsuki killed to get the Bijuu. The Hachibi recognized them.” Bee quickly explained before the first attack hit them and they had to scatter. 

They had trouble keeping up with the tempo of the fight since they didn’t have only one or two but six highly trained shinobi who were on top of that Jinchuriki with a ridiculous amount of power. Kakashi was getting worried about the situation of the fight when he realized that they not only had a Sharingan but a Rinnegan as well and that it was the same with the masked man. “Guy’s have you realized their eyes?” He called over to Naruto and Bee who were busy keeping Yugito at bay. 

“Yes! What of it?” 

“It’s a Rinnegan! Be careful!” Kakashi’s voice was rough and he was getting tired as blocked another lava Jutsu. “ _Doton: Doryuu Heki_!” 

Naruto and Bee jumped down to Kakashi who just used his mud wall to give them a second to catch their breath. 

“Kakashi, did you see his mask? It’s different.” Naruto asked. He was slightly out of breath from dodging attack after attack. 

But of course, their enemy heard them and chuckled darkly. “Haha, you are right Naruto-kun. This mask is different. It was especially made for this battle.” 

Naruto stood up and left his hiding place behind the mud wall, even though Kakashi tried again to keep Naruto close to him. It was of no use, because Naruto was already on top of the wall and stared provocatively into his enemy’s eyes. “Was it just to confuse us? Or did you want to keep your Rinnegan hidden from us, Madara?” 

Naruto thought he was staring into Madara Uchiha’s eyes but suddenly the man started laughing madly. Kakashi and Bee joined Naruto and they stared at the man. He spread his arms and glared at the group. “I am not Uchiha Madara. I don’t mind if you wanna use the name I have used before… Tobi, was it? Now that this war has finally begun, names are not important to me anymore. You should know that best, Hatake Kakashi. A man who has so many names all over the world. You should make sure to remember that pretty face next to you very well because once I am done here, that cute little Jinchuriki will beg me to kill him, and I will be merciful and grant his wish. And you… Hatake Kakashi… I will make you watch when the light leaves his eyes…“ He laughed madly. 

Kakashi had joined Naruto on the mud wall. He stared at Tobi’s masked face with poorly hidden hate and anger. Kakashi’s breath was getting faster with every word and he could barely keep calm. Naruto gripped his arm and held him back shortly before Kakashi could charge forward. “Naruto, let go. I will –“ 

“No! Stop! That will not happen. He’s just trying to rile you up!” 

“I will make sure that it won’t happen, because I will fucking take him down right here, right now, and then we will see who is going to be merciful!” Kakashi heatedly spoke as he yanked his hand from Naruto. Kakashi pulled out a Kunai and stepped in front of Naruto. “Tobi? You are right about something… I _will_ watch the light leave someone’s eyes… but that won’t be the eyes of the one I love. It will be _yours_ –“ Kakashi gritted his teeth and gripped his Kunai. “ – When I _kill_ you.” 

“Kakashi!” Naruto screamed in panic, when he watched Kakashi uncover his Sharingan and charged at Tobi. “Bee?! We have to do something! Get ready, this will get ugly!!” Naruto wasted not a second thought and raced after his angry lover. “Kakashi!!” 

“On it! Weeee!” Bee yelled and the Jinchuriki followed his young friend right into the fight. 

**Bee we are at a disadvantage here in the woods. You understand me?**

“Yes! Weeee!” The Jinchuriki transformed into the eight-tails massive form and blew up the entire forest. 

Meanwhile Naruto followed Kakashi, who was trying to attack Tobi. He wanted to help his lover but the other Jinchuriki were making it impossible to get closer. He was getting desperate as another attack blocked his way and he had to fall back. He called for Bee who trashed his eight tails around him and made sure to give Naruto a little more room, but it seemed impossible to get anywhere near Kakashi, like that masked Guy wanted this fight with Kakashi… 

“Bee! What the hell are we supposed to do? They are connected through the Rinnegan, we have to take them out one after the other. This is just the same as when I fought against Pain! They were also connected by the Rinnegan and Chakra enhanced poles, we have to find them and take them out of their bodies. Then we have a chance to end this.” 

“Alright. Naruto has a plan. Yo, let’s go!”

*

Kakashi heard the noises behind him while he stared into the eyes of his enemy. He knew that he could trust Naruto and Bee to handle this situation. He would take care of this man once and for all. He would never let that man lay a finger on Naruto. The Kunai in his hand felt hot and his breath was getting quicker with all the pent-up rage he just felt from even being so close to him. 

“I feel your rage Kakashi. Do you hate me because I want to kill Naruto-kun? Do you hate me because I want to take away the one you love?” 

Kakashi took in a shaking breath and his hands closed around his Kunai a little tighter. “I will never let that happen. You will have to go through me first.” 

“I thought as much. But rest assured. I will not kill you now, nor will I kill Naruto here, because I need him for my little project. But don’t worry once I have the Kyuubi, and Naruto’s lifeless eyes stare up at you, I will be merciful and kill you too… So, you can join him.” A dark chuckle left the mask. “You should be happy, Kakashi. What was not granted to me I will give to you. But now you will have to excuse me. I think that the Kyuubi is waiting for me.” 

Kakashi stared at the man in confusion. _What was not granted_ … What was that man talking about, and what did that have to do with him and Naruto? He would put an end to this. He threw his Kunai and quickly moved towards the other man, but as he thought, his body moved through him. He grunted when also his next punch moved through his body. He watched with horror as Tobi jumped away. “The Kyuubi. Naruto! No!” 

Behind him he saw the massive forms of the eight tails and two other Bijuus fighting against each other. Kakashi waited not a second longer, when he ran after Tobi who was trying to get the Kyuubi from Naruto. He had to stop that at all costs. He had to save Naruto. 

*

Naruto had his own problems in the meantime, not only was he worrying about Kakashi, but he was also in a kind of difficult situation right now. While fighting with the one tails, the Bijuu he had put this horribly weird sea shell thing on his back that he couldn’t get off, but not only that he was stuck on Bees massive hands after he fell and Bee thankfully caught him, which was of course good but now he was immobilized and he couldn’t get away. 

“Damn! Fuck this!” He screamed desperately as he tried to move but things only seemed to get worse, because suddenly he saw Tobi closing in. “Things couldn’t be much worse.” He whispered to himself as he watched the man kneeling over him. 

“Naruto-kun, once I touch you, I win.” 

“No!” Naruto felt desperate. He remembered Kakashi’s kiss and his promise. He wanted that god damn date! This can’t be happening! He felt Tobi’s hand closing over his eyes and he felt his heart race as panic took over his body. _Kakashi… Kakashi -_

“Konoha Senpu!” Gai-Sensei’s voice was quiet, but maybe that was just because the blood was rushing through his ears so loudly. Suddenly he felt strong arms under his body, and he was roughly picked up and pulled away from Tobi’s hands. He couldn’t quite see what was going on, but when he turned his head, he saw the most beautiful silver hair and a red Sharingan looking at him. “Kakashi!” His arms wrapped around Kakashi’s neck as he buried his face in the Jonin's chest.

Kakashi’s arms wrapped around his precious cargo and he sighed in relief when he felt hard ground under his feet again. He put Naruto on the ground in front of him, but Naruto simply fell into his arms again and quickly pressed a kiss on the masked lips. “I thought he would take the Kyuubi… I thought that I would never see you again.” 

Kakashi gently touched the soft cheeks. “I told you I will never let that happen, my love.” 

Naruto swooned a little at that endearment and blushed. “Ye..yes.”  
_Kakashi came and he saved me, and he called me loooove._ He was getting all excited in his head. Of course, he was aware of the situation they were in, but he could be a little happy about all of this… Couldn’t he? 

**Baka! You should concentrate a little bit more! There is a fight going on, or have you forgotten? Over there! All of that flirting between you and the Hatake-boy is driving me nuts! None of the other hosts were as lovesick and crazy as you.**

“I am not lovesick. I already have my man! And I have not forgotten about the fight, you stupid fox!” He yelled out loud without realizing that Kakashi and Gai-Sensei could hear him and that they looked at him very amused. 

“You are not? I don’t know if I should be _offended_ because you are not completely lovesick about me, _happy_ that you call me ‘ _your man’_ when you talk to the Kyuubi, or _glad_ that you have not forgotten what situation we are in… But, I guess I feel a little bit of all of them.” Kakashi said offhandedly and very much amused while he got up. He smiled at his blushing boyfriend. 

“He was… I was… Urg. Just forget it, please.” Naruto muttered totally embarrassed. He listened to the Kyuubi’s dark amused chuckle and just rolled his eyes. 

_That damn fox…_

“I really don’t want to be the one to break up this sweet encounter, but we have _a few problems_ at hand I think.” Gai said after he freed Naruto from the heavy shell that had formed on his back.  
Naruto groaned happily when the heavy material finally fell off his back.

*

Tobi pulled heavy Chakra chains around the neck of the five tails who screamed in pain. Naruto and Bee could hear their pained voice when she, in a last attempt to keep her mind free, called out to her brothers and sisters.

“What was that? I heard a voice.” Naruto murmured. 

“What voice? Is the Kyuubi talking to you again?” Kakashi asked. 

“No… that was a female voice… She was in pain.” Naruto looked around and his eyes landed on the massive form of the five tails that was slowly getting smaller again, because Tobi had her under the control of his Chakra chains. 

“It must have been the five tails… I can hear her. Bee? Can you hear her too?” He asked his fellow Jinchuriki. 

**Yes. You can hear all the Bijuu. Since we are all connected, Naruto.** The Hachibi answered. **It pains me to see one of my kind treated like this.**

 **Ts. It pains you? Now you are getting mad? Shinobi have always treated us like pets…Hachibi, You and that Bee-brat may be an exception,…** Kurama wouldn’t simply give away all his feelings and thoughts right now. He had watched Naruto and when that masked guy almost touched his baka-host, his old heart may have made a panicked jump. 

**Mah, Kyuubi are you sure about that… I know you –**

**You talk too much!** The Hachibi snickered when the Kyuubi forcefully made him stop talking. Of course his brother knew how much he actually cared about his silly host. That stupid child… He groaned. 

Kakashi looked at Naruto’s concentrated expression. “What is it Naruto?” 

“Kyuubi and Hachibi are still talking. There is so much noise in my head, Kakashi…” Kakashi looked at Naruto with a sympathetic smile. 

Whenever the huge beasts were moving around, huge clouds of dust were following, and it was getting hard to actually see anything. They were huddling closer together and Naruto realized that he needed to tell the others what they had found out about the Bijuus who were controlled by the man who still called himself Tobi. 

“Oh! Him! He’s got a Sharingan and a Rinnegan and they are linked. Left to right. And there’s a rod! … and… and…” He was getting flustered when he heard the Kyuubi’s mad laughter in his head. 

Gai stopped his explanation. “Stop. That doesn’t make any sense.” 

“The right eye is a Sharingan and the left eye is the Rinnegan, and he uses the same Jutsu like Pain… he controls the Bijuu with the Chakra enhanced rods.” 

Gai patted his friend on his shoulder. “Your skills of deduction are great, Kakashi, but your skill at speaking _‘boyfriend’_ are even greater! Haha!” 

Naruto grinned. 

_Hehe. Boyfriend._

**Baka.**

***


	25. Sasuke part 3 - Orochimaru

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsunade is fighting in a desperate battle against Uchiha Madara, will she defeat him? Or will somebody help her?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tsunade-sama and Orochimaru are just as amazing as kudos and comments. :)  
> Love you all!

Orochimaru had finally caught up with Sasuke. His student had a forlorn look on his face and Orochimaru wasn’t too sure if he should ask Sasuke what had happened. The Yondaime Hokage and the others had already raced towards the battlefront which left Sasuke and Orochimaru to follow them at a slower pace. Orochimaru was sure that Sasuke’s miserable look had something to do with his talk with the Yondaime. 

“Sasuke-kun, do you want to talk? I can see that there’s something on your mind.”

Sasuke was getting a little bit slower. The cool air around them felt calming to his heated anxious nerves. He was glad that Karin and the others were a little further behind, because he didn’t want anyone to listen to their conversation. “I have to think a lot about my past decisions.” 

“I see.” The Sannin and Sasuke were running side by side now and the wind was blowing in his face. It was brushing through his long black hair. Orochimaru had a feeling that the young Uchiha had a lot on his mind after his brother had died. It was only natural that sooner or later Sasuke would need to talk about all that had happened.

“I have to think about Itachi all the time. I can’t stop thinking about his last words.” Sasuke never looked at Orochimaru and the Sannin couldn’t see his face since the short black hair was hiding his face very conveniently. “He told me everything about the village and our family. I don’t know how to live with that shame that it was my hand that killed him. Why didn’t he tell me? Why did nobody tell me? I wish he had taken me with him that night or killed me!! But now I am here… and he is gone. I don’t know how to go on.” 

Orochimaru was surprised by Sasuke’s honest words. It pained him that his young student was so overwhelmed with grief and sorrow. “Did it help you to speak with the Kage?” He asked. He couldn’t give the young man any answers or give him emotional comfort, but he tried to simply be there for Sasuke right now. 

“I don’t know. I think that all I can do right now is try to help Naruto. That is something that I  _ can  _ change. I can’t get Itachi back, but I can make sure that Naruto lives. I can make sure that he lives for a better future for the village that Itachi loved. I guess… that’s what Itachi would have wanted too. What … what do you think?” 

Suddenly Orochimaru had a feeling that not a seventeen-year-old young man was running next to him but a sad and desperate young boy who needed a helping hand, someone to guide him. Orochimaru’s eyes softened when he looked at Sasuke. “Yes, I think that your brother would have liked that very much, Sasuke-kun.” Silence fell over them. The wind was blowing a little harsher now and Orochimaru was able to catch a glimpse of Sasuke’s face. Tears were running down his pale face and it became clear to the Sannin that Itachi’s death was weighing heavy on the boy.  _ He won’t recover from this. _ He thought. Orochimaru was suddenly worried what this would do to Sasuke. 

“Sasuke-kun … -“ 

“I am alright.” Sasuke answered bitterly. 

“Of course.” 

They moved quickly through harsh and unforgiving terrain. Soon they would arrive at the battle and everything would change for them. Orochimaru wasn’t sure what would happen to his student. There had been times when his only goal had been to kill Sasuke, but now that he looked back on his actions, he felt like Sasuke wasn’t the only one who had gained a new perspective on things. 

He could feel a sudden change in the atmosphere and a huge Chakra surge coming from east. Orochimaru concentrated and gasped. 

_ That’s Tsunade’s Chakra signature!  _ He was sure of it. He would recognize her under a million. Panic was starting to surge through his body when he realized that his teammate was not in a safe place, as a Hokage should be, but fighting on the front with all the other shinobi. He bit his lip. 

_ What is that woman doing? _ He desperately thought that he wanted to help Sasuke, but Tsunade… His eyes couldn’t focus on the road ahead. He had to be with her. 

“Sasuke-kun.” 

“Yes?” 

They slowed down and Orochimaru noted that Sasuke was adjusting his tempo. Orochimaru stopped and looked worriedly into Sasuke’s dark eyes. He had to leave the young man. No matter how much he wanted to stay with the young Uchiha and protect his student, he needed to be with Tsunade right now. His heart couldn’t take it to be apart from the blond loud woman and risk loosing her.

“Sasuke, I need to find the Godaime. She is fighting on the front.” 

“The Godaime? Tsunade? Why?” 

“You are not the only one who wishes to make amends with your teammates.” Orochimaru answered quietly. “Will you be alright when I leave you?”

Sasuke nodded. “Of course. I understand.” 

The moment stretched and Orochimaru felt that maybe this would be the last time that he saw his student. “Be careful Sasuke-kun.” He said. 

Sasuke didn’t answer but he felt touched by Orochimaru’s worry. He turned away and started his journey again. 

Orochimaru watched as Sasuke left. He stayed for a moment longer and felt worried for the future of this young man. He took a deep breath and raced towards the east where he could clearly feel Tsunade’s strong Chakra. He could feel it spike and he was sure that his teammate had released her  _ Hyakugou-Seal _ , which meant that she was in trouble. He had to hurry. He needed to get to Tsunade as soon as possible.

He quickly made his way through the unforgiving cliffs and the rocky landscape. He could feel Tsunade’s Chakra getting closer and he let his own Chakra spike for a moment in hope that she could feel him. Maybe the woman would think that he would be an enemy too, but he needed to act quickly and show her that he would be fighting with her rather than against her. He needed to make sure that Tsunade knew that he wouldn’t let her die here. 

He felt unsure about this other Chakra that was clearly present and very close to Tsunade. It was enormous and dark, and it was close to Tsunade. He wasn’t familiar with it and he worried about what kind of situation he was getting himself into, but no matter what he needed to do, he needed to be with Tsunade. 

*

*

Tsunade tried to catch her breath as Madara bombarded them with one attack after the other. The Kaze Kage was slowly meeting his limits in this fight and the Raikage had also seen better fighting days. They wouldn’t be able to stand this much longer. How would they be able to win this fight? 

She felt desperate and she wished that she had one more trump card that they could play, but she was never really good at poker. She was afraid that this would be her last game. She watched her fellow Kage and how desperate all of them were fighting. Suddenly she had to think about Naruto, Dan, Jiraiya, … Orochimaru.    
Her lip was trembling. She begged all the gods who might listen to her, that someone might protect Kakashi. Should she fall today, that at least he might live and protect Naruto.    
She wished that she had seen Orochimaru at least one more time. Maybe they could have been friends again. Now, all of that fighting between them seemed so pointless.    
She tried to be strong and clenched her fist as she focused her Chakra one more time. She was the Godaime Hokage of Konoha. She couldn’t wallow in self-pity. She had to focus on this fight. With a worrier's cry she jumped back into the fight and hit Madara straight into the chest which pushed the man back into the rocks some meters behind him. She was panting with exhaustion. 

Gaara and the Raikage looked at her with a thankful smile. They were tired and could barely stand the constant assault of the Uchiha. “We have to do something.” Gaara groaned. “Or we’ll all be dead soon.” 

Tsunade was well aware of that, but the solution was the problem. What should they do? 

“Why didn’t he disappear, when all the other Edo-Tensei reanimations did? What does that mean? Tsunade-sama?” Gaara’s voice shook with fear. 

Tsunade looked at the Kaze Kage. His questioning face made him look impossibly young. She saw a boy who was afraid that this fight might be his last. They were shinobi, who lived for the fight, but they were also human. Bleeding, breathing humans, who felt love and fear. Gaara was a brave and strong Kage, but in this very moment he showed his human side that seemed very fragile and he was looking for strength and guidance in his older and more experienced shinobi colleagues.    
“I don’t know. But I have a feeling that it must have something to do with that guy with the mask that Naruto told us about. I don’t like this one bit. We must be very careful, Gaara.” Tsunda mumbled. 

“Raikage how are you?” She called the older man. 

“I have been better, but I will live.” He groaned. “Try to heal the Kaze Kage, Tsunade. I will try to hold him off.”

Tsunade immediately jumped into action. “Gaara, come here.” Her hands started glowing with her healing Jutsu as she put her hands over Gaara’s back. The younger man sagged against her and sighed. He hadn’t even realized how painful the last attack had been. Tsunade’s healing Chakra felt wonderful against his beaten body. “Thank you.” He whispered. Blood was smeared against his face and he tried to gently wipe it away with his sleeve while the older woman healed him. “I can’t even feel my hands anymore.” He said offhandedly. “I think my left hand might be sprained or broken.”

Tsunade nodded and took his hand as gently as possible. The young man was right. broken. “Do you think that you can still fight with that?” 

Gaara shrugged and smiled at her. “I have to.” He moaned in pain when he felt Tsunade’s Jutsu envelop his hand. The nerves and bones were knitting together in the most painful way. “Oh god. That hurts.” He said quietly and bit his lip. 

There was a loud crash that made the Hokage and the Kaze Kage look up. They watched in horror as Madara had emerged from the rocky cliff and had attacked the Raikage, who had countered his assault well for a while until his Chakra was simply too low and the Uchiha had punched him into the ground with brutal force. The black haired man stood above him and laughed madly.    
“Is that all that the great five nations have?! Is a kage really THAT weak?!” he looked at Gaara and Tsunade. “Then you two will be next.”

Tsunade trembled. There was nothing that she could do now, but she could at least help Gaara. He was too young to die in this fight. 

“Get away. Leave.” She got up and got ready to defend the young man. “Find Naruto and help him.” 

“Tsunade-sama, no! I will –“ 

“You are too young. You are brave, but you don’t need to die here.” She yelled heartedly when she saw Madara coming closer. 

Her eyes were blown wide when Madara crashed into the ground right before their eyes. There was a huge cloud of dust and she couldn’t see anything. What happened? What was going on?! Was there another attack? They needed to get away, but she couldn’t move. 

“You are right. That boy is too young to die, but so are you, Tsunade-hime.” 

She couldn’t breathe. That voice! She watched in sheer disbelief as a lone figure appeared in front of her eyes. He stepped out of the cloud of dust. His black hair was still in the long ponytail and his pale, porcelain face was as beautiful as ever. 

He smiled at her tenderly and stepped in front of her protectively. He wouldn’t let any harm come to her. “I see you have trouble with a man? Same as usual then?” Orochimaru said jokingly. He took a deep breath of relief when his gaze fell on her beaten up face. There was some blood on her soft pink lips and a swelling on her forehead. Her beautiful blond hair was disheveled from the brutal fight and her clothes were torn but otherwise she was fine. He had been in time. She was alive.

“Orochimaru. What… How?” She looked at her old teammate. She wasn’t sure what the hell was going on as the Sannin took a fighting stance in front of her to protect her and the Kaze Kage. “Are you here to… to help me?” She whispered brokenly.

“I thought you might need some help with that – “ He pointed at Madara who slowly got up from the ground and glared at Orochimaru. “So, I thought I should drop by?” He looked over his shoulder to see Tsunade’s shocked face. He smiled and simply got ready to fight. 

“You are one of the Sannin.” Madara said, his voice dripped with anger and disgust. 

“What an honor that you know me.” Orochimaru grinned. “Indeed. I am one of the legendary Sannin and you will not get one step further.” He got ready for Madara’s next attack. Orochimaru was used to brutal strength and the danger of fighting against the Sharingan. Since he had joined the Akatsuki and had been in a team with Itachi he knew very well what he was up against. Also since he had trained Sasuke for years, and had fought against him multiple times, he knew very well how to avoid the dangers of the glowing red eye. He moved gracefully through the battle and crashed into Madara with just as much force as the Uchiha. 

Madara groaned when he realized that the Sannin knew how to counter his attacks and that his Sharingan didn’t help him in this fight. It seemed that this man knew very well how to fight against an Uchiha. He screamed as his rage was overpowering him. 

“Summoning no Jutsu!” Orochimaru yelled and called his huge Snake to help him in this fight. Manda crashed the Uchiha under their huge body, but Orochimaru was sure that he wasn’t dead yet. He groaned when he watched Madara raise again. This was getting tedious. He really needed to get rid of this pest. He took a look at Tsunade and the Kaze Kage who tried to save the beaten and broken body of the Raikage. They all huddled together in a relatively safe distance and Orochimaru was glad that finally Tsunade was out of danger, but it seemed that Madara had caught onto his worry about the blond woman because he now redirected his attacks. Madara went after Tsunade.    
No, he wouldn’t let that happen. He would make sure that Madara wouldn’t get to her.    
“Triple Rashomon!” he summoned his ultimate defense and made sure that the three gates of defense were placed in front of Tsunade and the beaten up Kage. 

Madara’s attack was useless against his defense. With a wild and infuriated glare, he went after the black haired Sannin. “That Hokage bitch. I will tear her to pieces!” he screamed as he ran towards Tsunade who tried to heal a barely moving Raikage and Gaara.

Orochimaru pulled out his sword and stormed after the Uchiha. He wouldn’t let that happen. With barely concealed rage and fury, he rushed after Madara to plunge his sword into his body. “Not if I will tear you to pieces first!” He screamed. The sword felt heavy in his hand as he desperately held onto it. The sword slammed into the strong muscular body of the Uchiha, who sagged against the ground and coughed up clumps of blood. “Impossible. You… “

Orochimaru stood hunched over the Uchiha as he plunged the sword deeper into the bleeding body. Madara groaned in pain. Orochimaru watched the heaving man with a look of disgust. He pulled the sword out of the Uchiha and let the blood drip from his sword onto the ground, where it seeped into the earth. Their eyes met. Orochimaru tried to catch his breath. Some strands of his long black hair had fallen into his face and he brushed them away. His muscles were aching, and his body was on fire as the adrenaline was pumping through his body. With worried eyes he tried to find the blond woman. “Tsunade?” He whispered. Suddenly there were strong arms wrapped around him and all he could hear were loud broken sobs. 

“Orochimaru!” She ran into his arms and sobbed. She had been so afraid that she would lose him as well. Even though they hadn’t been speaking for years and hadn’t been friends for the longest time she was glad that her teammate came to save her. He had protected her when she had needed him the most. She could hear the sword drop on the ground and his arms wrap around her body protectively. 

“Tsunade.” He buried his face in her soft blond hair. A wave of relief washed over him as he felt her warm body in his arms. “Are you alright?” 

She was still shaking, but she nodded. “I am. I am now.” She whispered. 

They were aware that there were years of anger and hate between them, but right now in this moment, they needed the comfort and the security of each other’s arms. They held each other close and the horror and the pain of the war wasn’t so close to her heart anymore. 

Madara moved on the ground and Orochimaru pushed Tsunade behind him so he could put his body in front of hers. “Stay behind me Hime-sama.” He said, quick to move in a defensive stance again. He quickly took his sword again and groaned in frustration.  _ How many times does an Uchiha have to die?  _

Madara moaned in pain as he felt blood seeping into the ground underneath him. That Sannin was fighting on another level he had to admit that much, but he would make the world burn and he would take them all with him. His nails were digging into the ground as he tried to get up. 

“We saw the other Edo-Tensei shinobi disappear, why didn’t he? Why are you suddenly here? Orochimaru, what is going on?” She hissed in panic as she saw how Madara again tried to get up. 

“Sasuke and Itachi killed Kabuto. The Jutsu was actually stopped. It must be something else. We must take him out, Tsunade. Get ready.” He quickly explained as he watched the Uchiha leader lift himself on wobbly legs. 

“Sasuke?!” She tried to take in that information. She had believed that Sasuke had killed Itachi, but she had also believed Orochimaru to be dead, and now her teammate stood in front of her. She quickly cleared her mind and focused on the situation at hand. “We will talk about this later, Orochimaru.” 

Orochimaru chuckled. “Of course, Tsunade-hime.” They moved and got into fight stances side by side. 

The Uchiha leader stood up and they watched as blood was slowly dripping from his wound. It seemed that Madara didn’t care that he was critically wounded because he walked closer and stopped only a few meters in front of them. 

Orochimaru’s grip on his sword tightened as he got ready to fight the Uchiha again. He could feel Tsunade get into a fighting stance as well. “I wish that our reunion could have been under different circumstances. Maybe with some sake?” He tried to joke and lighten the mood. 

“Sake sounds good.” She answered. Her voice was a little cracked from the fight and the strain on her body.

“You are a true challenge. Since Hashirama I have not fought anyone who made me sweat like you did, but you will have to excuse me now, because I have another obligation.” Madara laughed. “That dirty little Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi…” 

Tsunade’s eyes were blown wide when she heard Madara mentioning the Kyuubi. She stumbled forward and wanted to attack the man who wanted to harm Naruto. Orochimaru held her back. She struggled against his grip. “Don’t! Let go! I need to… Naruto!” She pushed against his arms in a desperate attempt to free herself. “I won’t let you hurt him!” She felt her body ache and tremble. She needed to protect Naruto! She couldn’t lose Naruto too. Madara’s mad laughter reached her ear and she looked at him. 

“I will make his death quick.” He grinned at the blond woman with a disgusting snarl on his face which made Tsunade scream in pain as she finally pulled free from Orochimaru’s arms. But she was to late, Madara had disappeared.    
She fell on her knees and cried in pain.  _ Kakashi! Please, protect him!  _

Orochimaru kneeled next to her and took her trembling body into his arms. She turned to him and buried her beautiful face into his chest. Her fists clenched on his shoulders and he could feel her tears starting to soak his vest. He touched her head and gently brushed through the tangled strands of golden hair. He had always dreamed of touching her like this, of being the one to comfort her, being the one that she would turn to. He sighed and pulled her closer to his chest. 

“Orochimaru. We need to follow him. We need to make sure that Naruto and the others are safe!” She pulled away and looked at him with a determined expression. 

He got up and helped her on her feet. “Are you alright to get back into a fight, Tsunade?” he asked her carefully. 

“I need to be. We need to get to the Raikage and Gaara first.” She said and was already making her way over to the two men. Tsunade realized with joy that Gaara’s face didn’t seem so pale anymore. She quickly looked him over and touched his face. “How do you feel?” 

Gaara was a person who didn’t like it to be touched in general, but during times like these he would make an exception and he actually appreciated the kindness of the Hokage. He nodded and took a calculating look at the other Sannin who stood behind Tsunade. 

She realized Gaara’s careful look at Orochimaru and giggled. She had seen Orochimaru fight numerous times and she had fought many times against her teammate as well, it wasn’t special to her to see Orochimaru move his body gracefully over the battlefield while striking his opponent with deadly force. He used his whole body as a beautiful and deadly weapon. She blushed as she realized her own thoughts. She coughed. “Let me take a look at your hand again. We need to follow Madara. He’s after Naruto.” 

Gaara wasn’t an expert when it came to romance or love, by all means, he would say that he had no idea about those things, but he could clearly see that something was going on between the two Sannin.  _ That’s a surprise. _ The way Orochimaru stood next to the Hokage – protectively – and the way he looked at her – so tender. Gaara needed to ask his sister about that.  _ Temari knows about that stuff.  _ He nodded to himself when he thought about his siblings.    
he listened to the Hokage and he felt dread and worry settled into his bones. “What!? We need to go! Right now!” he hurriedly got up and groaned as he felt his body ache. “We need to help Naruto!” He didn’t care about the pain in his muscles nor did he care about his damn hand. He needed to be with his friend. 

Tsunade looked at him and his eyes wandered to Orochimaru. “We can’t leave the Raikage here like that. What should we do?” 

“Don’t worry about him. I was travelling with some company. They should join us soon. They can take care of the Raikage.” Orochimaru said casually.

Tsunade worried a little bit about that ‘company’, but she tried to trust her friend. He had saved them, and it seemed like Orochimaru really wanted to help her. She nodded and decided that she would use the time they had until Orochimaru’s ‘company’ arrived, to heal the young Kaze Kage some more. She made him sit down and let her healing Jutsu glow over his battered body. The man groaned and closed his eyes for a moment. She could feel his Chakra depletion. It wasn’t serious but it was good that they had a moment to take care of themselves. She concentrated on her Chakra, and she could feel that her released Hyakogou-Seal was also starting to heal her own wounds. 

Gaara could feel how his wounds were healing and even the broken hand wasn’t hurting as much as it was before. He sighed in relief and leaned back against Tsunade’s steadying hands. “Thank you…” He quietly said. His tired eyes opened again to stare at the ground at his feet. He kicked a little stone and huffed in annoyance. “I wasn’t able to hold his attacks. We wouldn’t be in this situation and Naruto wouldn’t be in such a danger if I…. Forgive me Tsunade-sama.” Naruto was in danger and he hadn’t been able to protect him, even though Naruto had done so much for him. He felt ashamed.

Orochimaru stepped up to the young man to look at him sternly and scrutinizingly. "Do you think feeling guilty is the right thing to do right now? You fought well. Of that I am sure. And I'm sure you'll protect Naruto-kun once we reach them. You are strong, or you wouldn't have been chosen for the honorable task of becoming a Kage. So, stop this whining, it is annoying and we don't have time for this. Tsunade, my men are here, get ready to leave."

Tsunade and Gaara gaped at the Sannin, both equally surprised by the (weirdly) kind and motivating words. Tsunade had never heard him say something so nice to anyone before. She looked at Gaara and gently touched his hand. “Is it better now?” 

Gaara was still too surprised and confused by Orochimaru’s words and kept quiet. He nodded at her. And pulled his hand away. 

They watched a young red-haired woman and two men approach Orochimaru. Orochimaru started barking orders at them. Tsunade recognized the woman. That was Karin who was supposed to be in prison  _ in Konoha _ ! Kakashi had brought this woman, Karin, back to Konoha after their last confrontation with Sasuke. She had been in a prison cell ever since. She watched as Karin and the other two men obediently took Orochimaru’s orders and started to take care of the Raikage. 

She decided to stay quiet about this. Just something else they would have to talk about. She huffed and pushed her hands into her hips and moved from one foot to the other. She felt extremely annoyed. Not only did Team Kakashi do whatever they wanted behind her back but now she had to find out that her old teammate just went into her village and just got a prisoner from her goddamn prison. Did people actually respect her?! She didn’t like this one bit. 

The Sannin turned to Tsunade and Gaara. “We should go. They will take care of the Raikage now.” 

Tsunade and Gaare shared an anxious and worried look. They wanted to get to Naruto as soon as possible. 

***


	26. Kurama - part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The war is raging around the lovers and Naruto has an important conversation with Kurama ;)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kurama is great, just like kudos and comments.

Naruto knew that it was his own fault when he fell into the fangs of the four tails. He didn’t pay enough attention. He was too focused on Kakashi, who was fighting on the ground with Gai-Sensei by his side. But now, after being swallowed by a huge beast, Naruto knew that paying attention to the fight would have probably been the better thing to do. Naruto found himself in a very familiar surrounding. It reminded him of the place where he had conversed with the Kyuubi before. It was dark and his feet were surrounded with water, but instead of the Kyuubi he met a huge ape like beast. The Bijuu started screaming at him, and Naruto was unsure what he should do. Even though the Kyuubi wasn’t the friendliest of pets to hang around, he was kind of used to the huge fox and knew how to behave around him. This beast was unfamiliar to him and he didn’t want to anger him even further. 

“Why does a human dare to enter this place?!” While the massive beast screamed, Naruto tried to get as much information about the ape as possible. He saw chains around the red body that held the massive creature against a block of solid rock and Naruto realized that those chains were the same as the ones that he saw on the other Bijuu that Tobi guy controlled before. “Tell me what you want and how did you even get in here? Speak!” 

“Ah… sorry, it was a mistake!” Naruto quickly answered and shied away a little bit.

The four tails was confused. Never had a human asked for forgiveness before. “You hold one yourself… Don’t you? Kurama has trained his Jinchuriki well.” 

“Kurama? Who’s Kurama?” Naruto looked around and scratched his head in a slightly confused manner. 

The four tails huffed angrily. “You humans have always seen us just as a source of power. You didn’t even think that we have names.” 

Naruto felt guilty. He never suspected that the Kyuubi had a real name. He never asked. “So, his name is Kurama! That’s awesome, Dattebayo!” 

Kurama listened quietly while his baka-host talked about friendship and about wishing to free the Bijuu. Of course, he wished to believe  _ everything  _ that this child was saying, but he had placed his faith in humans before and he was always proven wrong. Son told Naruto that he would never trust a Jinchuriki. Kurama closed his eyes again. He was expecting such an answer from his brother. Humans have always enslaved the Bijuu. They have no great strengths, but they forced their wishes and their ideals on them. They restrained them, controlled them, and always just wanted to possess more power. He watched the world pass by, through the eyes of his Jinchuriki hosts and he hoped that humans might change one day, but he was sorely disappointed… until Naruto came along.    
Maybe he was able to change the world and the way humans lived. Maybe he would be able to end this conflict between humans and the Bijuu. There was this tiny light of hope inside Kurama, when he watched his little baka-host.    
Naruto was still trying to convince the four tails to trust him. “I will free you!” Kurama chuckled. It’s that voice, full of confidence that made you wish to trust in him. It is the light and the love in Naruto’s eyes and his smile that made Kurama’s heart melt.    
Kurama watched his host with careful and sad eyes. Whatever Naruto said, it wouldn’t reach Son’s heart. The distrust was too great. Kurama understood his brother’s feelings. Even though he watched this boy for years and he had watched all the struggles and all the pain, Kurama still wasn’t able to fully let go of all the negative feelings he had inside him. 

Son pulled them into the deep psyche of the Bijuu, where Kurama watched his silly boy talk with his sisters and brothers and suddenly he saw the old man again. He remembered a time, long ago, when all of them lived together. He heard the kind and gentle voice of their father ringing in his ears. Shortly before their father died, he had told them that they would face hard times, but one day they would find a boy who would reunite them all again. Kurama looked down at the wild mop of blond hair and tried not to get his hopes up. Maybe their father had been right? Maybe they had finally found that boy… Naruto turned around and looked at him with an open smile. Kurama cursed that smile. Why did that boy have to smile at him like that? 

He heard a giggle from next to him and he saw his sister Matatabi grin at him. “Kurama, you always had a soft heart.” She looked down at Naruto. “Son told us about you, Naruto. We have waited for you, for such a long time.”

Kurama huffed and angrily turned his head away. He wouldn’t let his sisters and brothers see his feelings so easily. They asked Naruto into their midst and shared their Chakra with him. Kurama couldn’t help but feel nostalgic when he looked at his little one. That boy that he watched for almost 18 years. Kurama couldn’t help the longing look and the deep feeling of belonging that finally settled in his heart, when he watched Naruto close his eyes when he felt all the Chakra of the Bijuu settle in the young blond man. Naruto reached out to the Bijuu and touched them gently. His body was glowing in a golden light and he could feel his own Chakra flow change. “What happened?” He asked and looked at the Bijuu. “We are bonded now.” Matatabi said quietly. Her brothers and sisters nodded while their tails happily entwined. 

Naruto turned around and looked at Kurama with his brilliant smile. He ran towards him like there was no war and no hate dividing humans and Bijuus. His arms reached out for Kurama and he fell onto the gigantic furry paw. “Kurama!” 

The other Bijuu laughed when they watched Naruto cuddle into Kurama’s warm, orange fur. Kurama was slightly uncomfortable. 

Saiken chuckled. “You haven’t changed Kurama.” 

No. Kurama definitely didn’t like this,… he would tell Naruto later that this was totally inappropriate behavior. Naruto could only do something like this when his brothers and sisters were far away and would never find out. 

His little Jinchuriki was snuggling into the bright warm fur without a care in the world. Kurama looked at his little one and huffed. That stupid boy…

*

After Naruto knew about the Bijuu and finally was able to join Kakashi, Gai and Hachibi in the battle again, Kurama told Naruto to not jump into the fight straight away but to watch the enemy first. 

“Aww, Kurama, do you worry about me?” 

**Baka! You should listen to your elders!**

“Haha, yes, yes! I know furball.” 

Kurama grumbled and with a fond glare he kept a close watch on Naruto and the man who stood on the other side of the field.  _ That Hatake-brat doesn’t look too good _ , Kurama thought.  _ That damn Sharingan is taking a lot of Chakra from him.  _

**Hope your boyfriend can keep up.**

_ Course he can! Dattebayo! _

Kurama was certain that Hatake Kakashi was able to put up a strong fight. He had seen the man in fights, when Kushina had been his host, and was impressed with the way the man had moved through battle situations, but this was definitely on another level. Kurama also worried about Naruto and how he would take it, if Kakashi didn’t survive this battle. He felt how deeply his little one suffered after he lost the old Sannin. Naruto’s heart was fragile, and he didn’t want him to lose someone as dear to him as Kakashi. He was afraid that Naruto might not recover from this.

*

The battle was grueling and long. Even longer than anyone had anticipated. Even Naruto was getting tired and he was getting worried because Kakashi was fighting with his Sharingan the whole time. There was no time to heal him and as they tried to get to him, Tobi was throwing another attack at them. Gakui and Kurama were busy keeping them all as safe as they could and Naruto tried to keep the attention of Tobi on himself, but that didn’t work, they had to do something about this transportation Jutsu.   
When they charged at him with a final attempt to get him, Naruto finally was successful, and Kurama couldn’t hold back his joyful yelp in his mind. They had done it, there was a crack in his mask. Naruto was now more determined than ever to simply knock it off his damn face. Gai and Kakashi were hot on his heels when Naruto threw another Rasengan at Tobi. 

Kakashi kept his Mangekyo Sharingan fixed on Tobi. He wouldn’t miss. Not this time. But he watched with worry as his boyfriend ran towards the man who promised Kakashi not only an hour ago that he would kill Naruto and make him watch. 

Tobi was throwing Chakra enhanced rods at them and Naruto had trouble to find a way through them to finally reach his target, but with his shadow clone by his side he was able to deceive Tobi and make his way through his attacks and strike at his enemy. Tobi was sure that the one who was attacking him was the real Naruto, when he tried to suck him away with his Mangekyo Sharingan, but suddenly the clone popped away. 

Kakashi fell to his knees, after overusing his Sharingan. His eye was bleeding, and he was breathing heavily. Gai was immediately by his side. “Kakashi!” 

“Why does that have to happen now? I have to… “ He tried to get up and get back on his feet but his whole body was aching and burning. The use of the Sharingan was taking its toll on his body and he would have to pay the price now. He grunted. He couldn’t move. His hands and his fingers, his legs, his throat… everything was burning. He closed the Sharingan which was already giving him a slightly blurry view and he was feeling a little sick as well. 

Gai kneeled next to him.  _ That goddamn eye would kill Kakashi one day. I understand why he honors it, for the sake of his friend, but does that mean I have to like it? No!  _ Gai sometimes wished that Kakashi had never taken that eye, because he saw how much pain it had brought him physically and mentally. “Kakashi…” He said and worriedly put his hands on his friends back. 

“I’ll be alright. You have to go and help Naruto. That is more important now, Gai. Please!”

Gai felt torn apart. Of course, he wanted to help Naruto and end their enemy, but on the other hand he wanted to protect and take care of his friend. He grunted in disagreement but got up anyway and got ready to race after Naruto. “I will be back for you, my friend.” He barely got out those words, when suddenly Tobi broke out in hysterical laughter. 

“Haha! You have just wasted another Kamui, Kakashi! Now, I will finally be able to take the Kyuubi, and because you can’t move you will be able to enjoy the show.” 

“NO!” Kakashi grunted in pain. 

“Not yet you freak!” From above him Naruto’s Rasengan was shining brightly. Tobi quickly dodged the destructive power of the Rasengan, but Naruto stopped him with four clones. “U-ZU-MA-KI -NARUTO-RENDAN!” The four Kage Bunshin were attacking the masked man at the same time and finally punched the white mask off his face. 

Naruto heard Kakashi’s desperate cry, but it was too late. “Tell me who you are! Dattebayo!!” He yelled. 

*

Kurama wasn’t surprised when the Jonin fell into some kind of shock. After the mask fell, it revealed the face of Kakashi’s old teammate, who he had believed to be long dead. Kurama wished he had some snacks to enjoy the drama and the tears. The old fox had never quite understood why humans were so fond of overly dramatizing everything around them. 

Kurama listened to their tale and tried to make sense of what this Uchiha fellow was saying...Obito had given his eye to Kakashi when they were children in an act of kindness and friendship because he believed that he would die soon. After he was saved by a weird stranger, who forbade him to return to his village and his clan, he had decided to go on a revenge trip and not only kill all the Jinchuriki, but take all the Bijuu, kill the new found love of his old teammate and make his old teammate watch and of course kill said teammate too. Followed by a tragic death or suicide.  _ Whatever ends this story better, I guess? Makes total sense… _ The fox couldn’t stop the sarcasm leaking into his thoughts. Kurama rolled his eyes.  _ What was it with the Uchiha and this weird wish for revenge? _

He would never get that, and he was an ancient creature. Kurama really didn’t understand humans that well, even though he had been locked up in human-hosts for so many centuries. Just watching this interaction between Obito and Kakashi was making him cringe.    
He quickly told Naruto that it would be better to be prepared for all hell to break loose soon. Kurama was a little unnerved by Naruto’s short answers and realized that it had to do with the fact that his host was fighting with all kinds of different feelings and emotions right now about Kakashi and Obito. 

**What’s wrong Naruto?**

_ I didn’t know that Kakashi got his Sharingan from Obito.  _

**Well, now you know it. What’s up with that?**

_ It’s something very intimate. Don’t you think so, Kurama? I mean… It’s a freaking EYE!  _

**Yes. It is… I guess.**

_ I never gave anyone an eye… or any organ… Maybe he had feelings for Kakashi? _

**Would you feel better if you give one of your organs to Kakashi?**

_ Kurama this is not funny.  _

**Maybe he was just dying and wanted to give his eye to Kakashi.**

_ Or maybe he had feelings for Kakashi and now that he is back, he wants to be with him again!  _

**And** **_that_ ** **is the reason why he wants to** **_kill_ ** **you both. Because he wants to fuck Kakashi.**

_ OH MY GOD. Could you please not talk like that? _

**Kid, just admit that you are jealous and it’s driving you nuts.**

_ I am! I am jealous, Ok?! I just don’t want to lose Kakashi!! I love him! _

**Over that psycho over there? Don’t worry. Hot blond wins over psycho teammate. Don’t we know that from experience, Naruto?**

_ Aww, Kurama. You think I’m hot? I should definitely tell Kakashi about that…. _

**Baka!!**

Kurama was calling Naruto Baka a lot, if he thought about it. That kid though he could win this damn war alone with the whole world resting on his shoulders and what about that Hatake-brat? Kurama would rethink his feelings for that one eyed perv… What the hell was he doing anyways, while his boyfriend was fighting this war? Kurama didn’t appreciate this one bit. Was he supposed to take care of everything? That man could at least do something, once in a while. Like, get over here and do something about that man that got his hosts jealous panties in a knot.    
He watched as Naruto was fussing over Kakashi, who was almost tearing up over discovering his lost teammate.    
The fox was darkly chuckling. Humans. Nothing but trouble.   
Seriously. What would they do without him?

***


	27. Obito - part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Obito vs. Kakashi part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for the comments, they make me incredibly happy :) I read them all and I love talking with everyone about their opinions. It's so much fun! I really appreciate all the feedback! :)  
> This chapter is for Alexa0825 thank you for reading and commenting on so many chapters!  
> It's so much fun talking to you. Your feedback always makes me smile!
> 
> Have fun with this chapter everyone <3  
> love you all.

“Obito! Why are you doing this? Why did you join the Akatsuki? You wanted to be Hokage once, don’t you remember?” Kakashi felt out of breath. The fight with his old friend took every ounce of strength that he had. His muscles ached and his Sharingan was burning. This was not the way he thought this day would go. He looked into the hate filled eyes of Obito, and he wasn’t able to see anything of the nice and funny boy that he once knew. The Obito who lived in his memories was a boy who was always late because he had to help old ladies over the street or with their shopping. His teammate always told bad jokes and tried to win Rins heart with weird presents. This man in front of him was speaking of war, final battles and murder. Kakashi’s heart couldn’t take it. All these years he had mourned his fallen teammates and his Sensei and now that his friend had returned, he didn't recognize him anymore. “What happened to you?” He brokenly whispered. 

Obito grunted angrily. “I have nothing to say to you. This will be the final battle between us, and I will take from you what you have taken from me all those years ago. I will make you suffer just the same way as YOU HAVE MADE ME SUFFER!” He got ready to attack the copy-nin. 

Kakashi was torn apart. Of course, he knew that he should be ready to counter the attack or attack as well, but he just couldn’t move. He stared at Obito with wide eyes and gasped when he suddenly felt a Kunai tore through his uniform and cut into the flesh of his leg. He groaned in pain. “Obito, why…” He fell onto his knees and desperately looked into the swirling Sharingan of his friend. 

“Because I hate you. You let Rin die. I will take away what you love the most in this world and make you feel the pain that I went through.” 

Kakashi’s heart was starting to race in panic and he quickly turned his head towards Naruto who was still locked in a fight with the Bijuu. “No. Naruto is innocent! He didn’t… –“ 

“RIN WAS INNOCENT TOO!” Obito screamed.

“It was my fault that Rin died! I know that, but please don’t hurt him! I would do anything to – “ 

“Now you understand my feelings. I would have done anything to protect Rin. She was my whole world, and _you_ let her die! When that Jinchuriki closes his eyes for the last time, I may even let you hold him… I am sure that you will understand my hate then.” Obito’s voice was full of venom as he tried to push the Kunai deeper into Kakashi’s flesh.

“NOO!” Kakashi saw Naruto’s smile in front of his eyes, he felt Naruto’s hand in his and his soft lips pressed against his own. The bright and brilliant laughter was ringing through his ears and Kakashi’s heart was filled with all the love he felt for Naruto. He remembered the way Naruto called his name that night on the ship, when they told each other about their feelings.  
_‘Because I know now that all my feelings and all my heart, they are just for you. I love you Kakashi.’_ _  
_ _Naruto…_ No, it couldn’t end like this _._ Kakashi opened his Sharingan and he pushed the other man away from him in a desperate attempt to gain distance. A pained cry tore from his lips, as the kunai was ripped from his flesh.  
“I will not let you have him. I know that no matter what I do, I will never atone for my sins… It was my fault that Rin was taken by those shinobi and I can never forgive myself that she died…” he was breathing hard. “But I want to live. I want to be by his side because I love him. I am not asking for your forgiveness, because I do not deserve it. I have done so many things that I am not proud of, but I cannot… Naruto… He is all I have in this world, all I love and I will fight for him. I cannot let you have him.” Kakashi felt his heart break as he looked into Obito’s hate filled face. “I thought you were dead and that we had parted as friends. It breaks my heart to see you like this Obito.” His voice cracked and he felt a searing pain in his leg. This was not going well for him. He saw that Obito got ready to attack again. 

“Do. Not. Lie. To. Me.” He spat at Kakashi. “Pretty words – nothing more. If you think that I care even _a little bit_ about your lover, you are wrong. I only care about ending all of this.” 

“Obito –“ Kakashi tried to reason with his teammate again but he was stopped with a harsh blow to his face. He grunted in pain and held his aching cheek. 

“Trash like you shouldn’t even be allowed to speak. You will die soon.” Obito raised his hand and got ready to kill Kakashi, who was kneeling on the ground. Kakashi could see the clear killing intent in Obito's eyes. His head hung low and his breath was racing. Nothing that he would say could reach Obito now. His Chakra was dangerously low, and he was out of options. He squeezed his eyes shut. _Naruto…. forgive me my love, I won’t be able to keep my promise._ He thought as his eyes filled with tears. 

Naruto watched in horror as Obito swung a huge Shuriken above Kakashi’s head. He screamed and desperately tried to get away from the strong grip the four tails had on him. He needed to get to Kakashi – NOW! “Let go of me!” he screamed desperately and with a Bijuu Dama he pushed the beast away from him and finally had that moment that he needed to get closer to Kakashi to save him. He saw his silver-haired lover kneel on the ground in front of Obito. Naruto didn’t hear what the Uchiha had said, but he saw defeat and anguish on Kakashi’s face and tears were welling up in his eyes. What the hell was going on there? He had to hurry. “Kakashi!”

The Shuriken was sliding through the air and Kakashi could almost feel the blade on his skin. He could taste the blood on his lips. Would this be his end? When he got the fake SOS from Gai a few weeks ago and when he went to the ship to talk to Naruto, he was aware that war was upon them. He was aware that one possibility of war was death, but that night when he looked into those deep ocean blue eyes all that he could think about was a _future_ with Naruto in his arms. That night when Naruto’s sweet lips were pressed against his, he had _dared_ to dream again.  
Now all that would be over. Somehow, he knew that someday he would have to pay for all his sins. He closed his eyes and tried to remember the sweet smell of Naruto’s shampoo that had lingered on his pillow for days after the blond had left with Gai, Yamato and Aoba. Kakashi had pressed his nose into the pillow and dreamed of his beloved. “Naruto... I love you. “ he whispered and closed his eyes.

Naruto’s angry scream told Obito that he certainly didn’t appreciate that he had just tried to kill his man. “What the hell do you think you are doing? That’s my man you are trying to kill there! I don’t give a fuck what happened in your past, but if you try that shit again I will rip your head off! Dattebayo!!” Naruto jumped between Kakashi and the Shuriken. The Kyuubi’s Chakra had forcefully not only pushed the Shuriken but also Obito away. While he kept his watchful eyes on the Uchiha, his right hand instinctively reached for Kakashi.  
“Kakashi…” His voice was growing soft. “Kakashi are you alright? Did he hurt you?” His hand reached for Kakashi’s shoulder and he immediately tried to find out what his condition was. Without a second thought he quickly started to heal Kakashi as best as he could. He was aware that time was not on their side, so he had to hurry. 

“Look at that. Isn’t that cute. Your little boyfriend is taking care of you and – “ 

“You know what? I seriously don’t appreciate all that talking about you or your past and shit. To be honest, I already have enough trouble with my own difficult Uchiha teammate and I don’t need another. I don’t get why you hate Kakashi so much, because he is amazing, brave and kind. If you wanna hurt him – you have to go through me first!!” 

Kakashi felt Naruto’s healing Chakra surge through his body. He felt guilty for relying on Naruto so much. Without a second thought Naruto jumped to Kakashi’s defense when Obito attacked them again. “Kakashi is with me! Stay away from my man! Dattebayo!”

Kakashi was finally able to get back up and help Naruto. Where he might have felt insecure before about attacking his long-lost friend, he now knew what he had to do. He raced after Naruto and focused his Chakra on his left hand to form a Raikiri. “Naruto!” he called for his blond lover. As long as he was able to stand, he would fight. As long as he was able to breath, he would never give up. He had tried to reach Obito, and he had failed, but as a shinobi of this world he had a duty to his village and to his people. As a man he wanted to be with the one he loved. Naruto had finally given him the strength to fight Obito. 

When Naruto saw Kakashi next to him, he almost felt ecstatic with relief. He had been so worried that Kakashi had simply given up because of whatever happened between him and his teammate. He had seen the hurt and the devastated expression on the Jonin’s face. Naruto expected them to have a long talk after all of this was over. He was sure that Gai-Sensei and Yamato-Taicho haven’t been telling him everything about Kakashi’s past.  
_Yamato_... That was also a problem that he would have to solve, because he absolutly had to find his kidnapped friend. Naruto felt a tight pressure on his chest when he thought about Yamato-Taicho. But first things first. They would have to take care of Obito.

 _As if that would be so easy._ He thought miserably. 

**Stop whining. We have to take care of this now and take him down, or you won’t be able to go on that date, which would mean, that I don’t get to listen to your internal screaming and inner debates of ‘Does Kakashi really like me?’, ‘What should I say to Kakashi?’, “What should I wear?”. And believe me, I am so looking forward to that.**

Naruto almost stumbled and fell when Kurama was chuckling darkly. “Kuramaaaa! I do not say stuff like that!” Kakashi’s Raikiri was shining next to him and the sound of lightning was loud in his ears. “Naruto! Focus!” Kakashi called over the sounds of battle that were all around them. With their combined forces they were able to drive Obito back.

Kakashi felt like they were trapped between a rock and a hard place and there was no way out anymore. Finally, when both, he and Naruto, couldn’t hold the attacks anymore and were drawing back more and more, they were suddenly surrounded by mist. Kakashi was getting ready for anything, but he realized that they were not surrounded by new enemies but by their allies and he finally had a moment to take a deep breath. He saw a pink head who was quickly running closer to them. As he looked into the distance he could also see his friends, Hayate and Yugao who waved at them. Sakura took a second to look at them and Naruto smiled at her. “Sakura-chan! I am so glad to see you.” Sakura smiled at her teammate and took a calculating look at Kakashi. Naruto didn’t have to say anything to make her understand that she had to take care of Kakashi’s leg. “Sensei, please let me take a look at that. You are hurt.” 

“Thank you, Sakura-chan.” Naruto had transferred some of his healing Chakra to him but that had to be done quickly, during the fight, to make sure that he wouldn’t pass out from Chakra exhaustion. Sakura immediately went to work and made sure to heal the wound on Kakashi’s leg as best as she could. Kakashi thanked her when he felt the pain in his leg subsided. 

“Naruto, are you ok?” She asked while her focus was still directed on Kakashi’s wounds. 

“I’m alright. Don’t worry about me. How is Kakashi doing?” His eyes were filled with worry when he kneeled next to Kakashi who sat down to make it easier for Sakura to take care of the wounds on his leg. 

“You know I am right here and I can hear you. I am doing much better.” Kakashi was grumbling. 

“I know you are, but I want to hear it from Sakura-chan, because that would make me feel better.” Naruto took Kakashi’s hand and looked at his friend. 

“Well, Sensei, I took care of your wounds… Be careful with your Sharingan though, …”

Naruto quickly thanked Sakura and took Kakashi into his arms. “Whatever that guy said to you… You shouldn’t listen to him. We made a promise, didn’t we? We will go home together. You and me.” Naruto pulled away from the embrace and gently touched Kakashi’s cheek. “If you start to doubt everything and everyone, there is still something that you should never doubt… and that is my love for you.” Kakashi gasped as he reached for Naruto’s hand that rested on his masked cheek. His fingers moved over Naruto’s hand, which was slightly chapped from fighting. He pressed his masked lips into the palm and softly kissed the hand. He pulled away. “You are right. I promised. We will definitely go home together.” 

“Stop!! WHAT. IS. GOING. ON?!” Sakura screeched. “Are you two together?!” 

Kakashi and Naruto winced and slowly turned their heads to look at the pink-haired girl. “Yes?” Kakashi carefully answered.

“Why did that sound like a question, Kakashi?” Naruto pushed his hands into his hips and looked at the silver-haired man with furious blue eyes and a cute pout. 

Kakashi felt Naruto and Sakura watch him with inquisitive stares. “It wasn’t a question, Naruto. I mean… Yes, Sakura-chan, Naruto and I, we are…” He was sweating. This was a war zone but somehow debating his relationship status with his team felt more stressful than fighting with his old teammate and all the Bijuu together. “We are a couple.” 

“OH MY GOD! I knew it. Shannaro!!” She pulled Naruto and Kakashi into her arms and happily squealed. “I am so happy! Ino will never believe me!” 

“Sakura-chaaan! You are hurting me!” Naruto whined, but his face was glowing with happiness. He had been hoping that his friend would support their relationship. 

“I hope that I am the first one you told about this. I mean, I am your teammate!” She let go of them and immediately her brow shot up which made both Kakashi and Naruto nervous, because there were numerous people who had known before Sakura. Gai, Yamato, Tsunade, Lee and Sai, Bee, and the whole third regiment that had traveled with Kakashi when Naruto found him. Naruto was sweating. “Yes! Of course, you are!” 

“Narutooooo! Shannaro!” Her fist punched him into the ground when she realized that her baka-teammate had lied to her. 

Kakashi chuckled at the scene before him. Naruto was right, he shouldn’t let himself be haunted by ghosts of the past. There was so much he had to live for. He had his friends, Naruto and his team. He would fight to protect them with everything he had. “Naruto, I will take care of Obito.” Kakashi got up and with a newfound determination in his heart he got ready to finish this once and for all. 

“Kakashi, are you sure?” Naruto took his hand and gently squeezed it.

“I wish that I could save Obito, but if I can’t… I know what I have to do.” Kakashi’s sad eyes told everything that he had to know and Kakashi’s pain resonated deep in his own heart. 

“I understand. Please be careful.” Naruto whispered into Kakashi’s chest. His hands tightly gripped onto the others back. He wished that he could hold Kakashi like this forever. For a moment they held each other in a tight embrace, before Kakashi left them to hunt down Obito.

*

Kakashi almost couldn’t believe it, but he was able to pull his old teammate into his Kamui. They were both breathing hard and both of their bodies were full of wounds when they finally made it into the other dimension. Kakashi’s vest was drenched in his own blood and he could smell it in the air. As soon as they emerged from the pull that the Kamui had on their bodies, they started fighting again. Kunais were thrown and Kakashi felt a hard kick against his ribs. He groaned and tried to gain the higher ground in the fight, but he realized how much Obito had grown. He focused his Chakra into his left hand. “Raikiri!” With that he ran towards his old teammate. 

He could have ended it right there. He could have killed Obito. Obito was on the ground, helpless, defenseless, but Kakashi simply couldn’t do it. He couldn’t kill him. The face that was looking up at him may be disfigured and full of hate now, but he could still see that smiling young Uchiha that always came too late to their team meetings. “Please Obito, stop all of this. It’s not too late. Don’t you remember your dream? Naruto is following the same dream; he wants to become Hokage too! I know that you understand Naruto’s feelings and his wish. You can still go back to the person you once were!” 

Obito leaned back and started laughing. “Haha! It’s true. I understand Naruto. I understand his wish and because I understand him, I wish to destroy him and everything that he stands and cares for. Kakashi, … I know what happened with Rin on that day. I know that she was kidnapped and forcefully made into a Jinchuriki. She may have chosen to die on her own, but that doesn’t change the fact that **you** didn’t protect her and that it was **your hand** that killed her! It is your fault. Rin shouldn’t have died and I will make you pay for it!” 

Kakashi stepped away from Obito. His hand sank as he listened to Obito. Kakashi could barely look at Obito’s face anymore. It was true. Everything that Obito said was true. Rin was kidnapped when they were on a mission and the hidden mist shinobi sealed the three tails Bijuu inside her. Kakashi was too late to stop this but he was able to get her out. He hadn’t realized at that time that the hidden mist shinobi didn’t really put up a fight when Kakashi and Rin tried to leave the hideout. Kakashi was so young and stupid back then, he was just glad that he was able to find Rin and save her. Obito was right… Rin knew what had happened and she ran into Kakashi’s Chidori, when he had aimed it at an enemy. He would never forget the blood. There was so much blood and it was all over his hands, his arm, his uniform. He would never forget her face when she closed her eyes. 

“In a Genjutsu, you could live with the ideal version of me that you are still clinging to….” Kakashi wavered a little when a little Uchiha boy with goggles on his head grinned up at him. He felt his eyes water and for a short moment he wanted to reach out for the illusion, but he shook his head and aggressively cut through the illusion with his Raikiri.

“I don’t want any illusions! There is so much that I have to live for, and somebody is waiting for me.” 

Obito chuckled and his face darkened. “Ah. Of course. Naruto. Don’t think that I have forgotten about your little lover – that dirty little Jinchuriki.”

Kakashi was growing restless and anxious. He had to do something. “I understand that you feel like there is hole in your heart and like nothing could ever fill this void. I felt like this for such a long time after I lost you, Rin and Minato-Sensei, and I didn’t know how to go on until Naruto came into my life. He filled my heart again.” 

“Let’s end this talking. You will never understand my feelings!”

Kakashi felt the armor that he had built around himself slip when he fought Obito. He remembered the times when Minato-Sensei made them train and fight against each other. This Obito wasn’t smiling and grinning up at him, when he was able to land a punch. This fight was not for training, this would not end with two friends shaking hands. Kakashi’s ears were ringing when Obito’s fist crashed into his skull. He groaned in pain, but he knew that he wouldn’t be able to rest and catch his breath. He shook his head and immediately countered Obito’s next attack. The pressure on his chest was getting more painful when he thought about his old friend. He wished this fight wouldn’t have to end with one of them killing the other. 

It wouldn’t be him. It couldn’t be him. “Chidori!”  
_Naruto…_ _  
_ He had to live. Even if it was for this selfish reason just to see Naruto’s face one more time.  
The horrible feeling of his hand had piercing through Obito’s chest was making him sick and he screamed in pain. Kakashi's scream echoed through the emptiness of the other dimension.  
He squeezed his eyes shut. Bones scratched against his skin. Blood was running down his arm. He couldn’t look at the man in front of him. 

Blood was running down Obito’s lips and he was coughing up even more when he tried to say Kakashi’s name. Obito felt how he was sagging against Kakashi’s body. The other man took him into his arms. He heard Kakashi’s silent sob and he could only chuckle darkly. “Are you sad now, Kakashi?” His blood was slowly seeping into Kakashi’s green vest and was coloring it a dark red. Kakashi was kneeling down and tried to lay Obito on the ground.

“You made that decision Obito… “

“Maybe. But it’s not over yet.” He coughed up more blood. 

Kakashi could only watch as Obito activated his Sharingan, which pulled him away from this dimension. Obito left Kakashi kneeling on the dark floor where blood was pooling at his knees. It was all over his jacket and his hands were dripping with Obito’s blood as well. 

He groaned as he finally found a moment to catch his breath. He laid on his back and simply looked into the darkness of the complete voide of the other dimension where the Kamui had taken them. His left hand, that wasn’t full of blood, was shaking when he brushed over his tired face. He pulled down his mask and his jaw fell open. He tried to take a few deep breaths that very felt heavy in his lungs. Kakashi wished he could scream out all his frustration and his pain. He wished that he could cry. His lungs were squeezing out a pained sob, but there were no tears. Maybe he had used them all up when he was younger. Another dry sob wracked his body and his fist clenched over his chest in pain. Obito’s blood was all over him… just like Rin’s. 

He had to get up, he knew that he had to get back to the fight, but his whole body felt like it was on fire. He knew this pain so well. Meeting Obito again brought back all the horrible memories of his childhood and his teenage years and he didn’t know how to deal with them. His heart started to race, and he squeezed his eyes shut to focus, but the only sound he could hear was the blood rushing through his ears. 

He had to get up.  
_Naruto. Naruto needs me._

Kakashi opened his eyes and tried to focus on his own breathing. His body was shivering with the adrenalin that was still racing though his body after the fight, and he slowly sat up. He wiped his hands on his jacket and tried to get the blood off his shaking hands. All the times he had used the Chidori this had never happened to him. With concern he looked at his hands and his eyes fell to the ground. With a sad and worried expression Kakashi tried to get up and with a flowing move he also pulled his mask back up.

“Kamui!” He couldn’t waste any more time. He had to hurry and get back to the fight. He felt the pull of the Kamui on his body and just a second later he was back on the battlefield. 

***


	28. The final battle - part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Minato is cute, just like a kudo or a comment <3

Minato finally made it to the battlefield and immediately started looking for Naruto’s Chakra. He gracefully landed in front of his son who didn’t seem too surprised to see him. Naruto was kneeling on the floor and was currently being healed by a pink haired Kunoichi. His son was smiling up at him and Minato walked up to the pair to take a closer look at Naruto. After Kakashi had left them to fight against Obito, Sakura decided that she would also take care of her other teammate. She was happy that Naruto was an extremely fast healer, but she could still feel his fatigue and his Chakra exhaustion while she was healing him. 

“I hope I’m not late?” 

“Nah, your timing is actually pretty great dad.” 

Minato kneeled down and he couldn’t wait anymore when his arms finally reached out to take Naruto into an embrace. He heard Naruto sigh. His son was heavily leaning into his chest as his arms were also wrapping around his fathers’ body. “Dad...” Naruto closed his eyes as he felt the gentle embrace of his father. 

Even though the Edo-Tensei Jutsu was cursed and forbidden, he never felt more blessed. He was able to hold his son in his arms. His hand softly touched the blond hair, that was so much like his own, before he finally pulled away and smiled down into the face that looked so much like Kushina’s, it almost broke his heart. He got up and brushed the dust of his pants. The pink-haired girl was still healing Naruto. “Are you Naruto’s girlfriend?” Minato innocently asked.

Naruto blushed and Sakura laughed. “Haha! No, I am not, but there is someone…right, Naruto?” A dirty grin danced over Sakura's lips and she winked at Naruto. 

“Sakura! Stop it!” Naruto mumbled embarrassed. 

“Really? You have a girlfriend? Tell me her name! Is she also fighting here? Maybe I can meet her?” Minato was excited to hear his son had a girlfriend and the prospect of maybe even meeting her made him giddy. 

Naruto’s cheeks were flaming red. His dad’s excitement and Sakura's snickering didn’t help at all. “Well, you know… The thing is you kind of know this person.” He stumbled over his words and he felt sweat pouring over his forehead. When Kurama was starting to snicker in his mind, Naruto was ready to lose his nerves. 

“I know her? Hmm.. Maybe one of the kids from the other clans?” Minato was getting confused. He was scratching his chin in a thoughtful manner and tried to remember all the clans that had kids around the same time when Kushina was pregnant. The Nara – no they had a boy, the Hyuuga had a girl!

Naruto’s hands were getting sweaty. “Dad, it’s not a girl.” 

Now that pulled Minato out of his thoughts. “Excuse me?” He looked at Naruto with wide blown eyes. A guy? Naruto had a boyfriend. He saw the anxiety and the fear in Naruto’s eyes, and he realized that he had to make sure that his son knew that he was ok with his decision. “You have a boyfriend?” He carefully asked. 

Naruto shyly nodded and carefully looked into the eyes of his father. “Yes, and I really love him.” Naruto was anxiously fumbling with his sweaty fingers. His hands were shaking. Right now, he would rather fight that crazy Uchiha guy than wait for his father’s answer. 

Minato smiled. To hear his son speak about love so openly made him happy beyond belief. “Does he love you too? Is he good to you?” 

Naruto felt like a huge weight had been lifted off his chest. He smiled happily up into Minato’s eyes. Some of his initial fears fell off his shoulders. Maybe his dad would approve of his relationship with Kakashi? He seemed pretty cool about him having a boyfriend. That was a good start. “He is the best and I think that he really loves me too.” 

Minato felt his eyes tear up. He couldn’t start crying now. Kushina had always told that he was too emotional, but seeing his cute son here, and listening to him talking about love was really getting to him. “Who is he? Where is he? You said I know him?” 

Naruto heard Sakura snicker again. “Yes, Naruto, the Yondaime should know him pretty well, doesn’t he?” 

“Sakura! Please!” Naruto felt Sakura's Chakra had almost completely healed him and just when he was getting ready to get up, he felt another Kage enter the scene. He took in a deep breath. That would take his dad’s mind off his love-life. 

“Minato, you are still as fast as you’ve always been.” The Sandaime said. “We have problems.” The Sandaime had a grim look on his face and Minato understood that he needed to talk to the other Hokage. It also confused him that the first Hokage and his brother hadn’t arrived yet. Something must have happened to them. Minato huffed. He wanted to know who that mysterious boyfriend was! He looked at Naruto and shook his head with a joking grin, that should signal his son ‘We are going to talk about this’, which made Naruto squeal and Sakura laugh out loud. Minato chuckled and turned away to talk to the Sandaime. 

*

“No help Sakura!” He poked his teammate into her arm. 

“Sorry, Naruto but it was too much fun to watch you squirm.” She snickered and helped her friend up again. 

“I can only imagine. I don’t know how to tell my dad that Kakashi and I are in a relationship… I mean he was Kakashi’s Sensei, you know? What if Dad doesn’t approve of us being together? I just worry what that would do to Kakashi… He tends to go on guilt-trips so easily…” Naruto started mumbling and started to pull on his hair. 

Sakura watched her friend stressing over his relationship, and she wished that she too could one day talk to her friend about love and relationships. She felt her eyes burn. 

“Sakura-chan?” 

“Mhn… It’s nothing… Really. It’s stupid!” She rubbed her eyes. She was thinking about Sasuke and felt angry at herself.

Naruto turned around and looked at her with sympathy. “I know that you still care about Sasuke and that you miss him…“ He gently touched her shoulder to show his support.

Her lip quivered. Naruto had looked through her so easily. It was true that she had thought about Sasuke. Her heart was heavy, and her thoughts often carried her to that fateful day at the bridge where Sasuke had attacked them – where he had almost killed her. 

“He is coming.” Naruto whispered. 

“What?” Sakura couldn’t follow and looked at Naruto with confusion clearly written all over her face. The battle was raging all around them, but suddenly this whole world was shrinking down to those words that Naruto whispered into her ears. “Sasuke is coming.” Naruto pulled away from her and looked into the sky. Sakura tried to follow his eyes and her jaw fell open when she saw black hair obscuring the handsome face of… “Sasuke.” His name felt almost foreign on her lips. She couldn’t believe what she saw.

*

Sasuke stood in front of Naruto and Sakura and at first, he didn’t know how to feel or what to do. Of course, he came here with a goal, but seeing them now made him feel all kinds of things. He heard Ino call his name from a distance. Sasuke turned around to face her, but Shikamaru and Choji immediately held her back and took a fighting stand before their blond teammate. “Stay away from him, Ino. He’s not one of us. He’s an enemy.” 

Enemy. That is right. He had seen his face in the bingo books. He was classified as an enemy of Konoha and the other shinobi villages. He had no right to be associated with Konoha anymore. He had no right to call these people friends or comrades. He turned away from Shikamaru and his team and passively looked at Naruto who slowly got up and walked up to him. It felt like whatever happened now, in the next few seconds would determine his fate. 

“You are late, Sasuke.” 

“Hn. I had stuff to take care of.” 

“Aha. Well, I am glad you are here. You see, we have ‘ _ stuff to take care of’ _ too.” 

“So I’ve heard.” 

This was going… well? Sasuke didn’t want to jump to conclusions. This was the first time in years that they have spoken in a non violent manner. Without attacking each other. Naruto had grown so much; he was taller than Sasuke now and he had to look up into Naruto’s eyes. He remembered, when they were Genin he had looked down at Naruto. 

“Sasuke.” Naruto’s voice still felt so familiar, even though it was much deeper now, much more mature. Sasuke finally looked into the blue eyes in front of him. “Will you help me?” Naruto held out his hand.

Sasuke clenched his fists. He dropped his head in an attempt to hide his face. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other and tried to hide his unease as he took Naruto’s hand. He felt the gentle weight and warmth squeezing his own hand. He looked up into Naruto’s smiling face. Even though he had lost all rights to call him friend… he had missed Naruto. He felt Naruto pull him into an embrace. Sasuke held onto Naruto like a drowning man and suddenly he felt another pair of arms wrap around him. Sakura. Her fingers were digging into his back and with one arm he reached out to embrace her too. Sasuke felt a tear roll down his cheek when he listened to Sakura's soft sobbing. 

“Sasuke-kun, we missed you so much.” 

To be missed and to be loved by someone was almost foreign to Sasuke and he felt how his chest ached with Sakuras sweet words. He closed his eyes and for a second, he felt like his dream had become reality. Naruto and Sakura held him in their arms, and they were together again. His fingers were digging into the horrible orange fabric of Naruto’s jacket and his other hand was gently touching Sakura's soft pink hair. He wanted to tell her so many things, but he couldn’t. 

While Naruto and Sakura were tightly clinging to their lost teammate, the fabric of Sasuke’s shirt was getting wet with Sakura's tears and Naruto’s snot, but he didn’t care. Just for a moment he would be what they wanted him to be and he would hold them in his arms. 

*

Shikamaru watched them with worry. Of course, he was happy for his friends, but no matter what Sasuke’s plan here was, the decision of the council was final. Naruto and Sakura knew that. Sasuke would never be allowed to return to Konoha. He watched the reunited Team 7 pull apart with unease and a sense of foreboding. Shikamaru wanted to pull Naruto away and talk some sense into him. Taking Sasuke as an ally was risky. It was even more than that – it was very dangerous. He was not to be trusted. He realized Naruto was watching him. Their eyes met and Shikamaru immediately understood – Naruto knew. He knew that Sasuke being here made everyone nervous. Nobody trusted him and having Sasuke as an ally would not bode well. Shikamaru was impressed by Naruto’s quick analyzing and understanding of the situation. 

Naruto nodded at Shikamaru and with a sad smile he averted his gaze from his friend to turn his attention back to his lost Uchiha teammate. 

_ Seems like that’s the popular thing now… trying to save lost Uchiha teammates. Ne, Kurama?  _

**I could live without all that drama.**

_ Me too. _

Naruto let out a heavy sigh when he pulled away from the embrace to give Sasuke and Sakura a moment to be together. He tried to put up a smile in front of Sakura. He didn’t want to worry her. Of course, he knew that she wasn’t stupid and that she had realized the scrutinizing and angry looks as well. To be honest, looking at Sasuke was painful for Naruto, but he had missed his teammate so much and his feelings had overtaken him when he hugged the Uchiha. Just for a second it was like they were children again, little Genin who didn’t know any better and just wanted to have fun on one of their missions while having big dreams about becoming great shinobi. Naruto watched Sakura who was still clinging on to Sasuke. He was gently caressing her hair. Now that his mind was a little clearer, the memories of the talk with Shikamaru came back to him and he remembered the decision of the council. He grimaced when his nails painfully dug into the flesh of his palm. He had to be strong right now. For his friends. For Kakashi. For everyone.

“Sasuke, Sakura! We are Team 7! Let’s go!” Naruto yelled and got ready to leave. They had to end this war. Once and for all.

Sasuke huffed. “Since when are you the team-leader? Where is Kakashi?” 

Sakura sniffed and rubbed her teary eyes as she slowly pulled away from Sasuke's embrace. “His boyfriend is fighting on another front.” Naruto’s embarrassed expression made her laugh even harder. 

“I didn’t ask about the boyfriend of this idiot. I asked about Kakashi.” Sasuke was quiet for a moment. “Wait a second…You have a  _ boyfriend _ ?” He asked. “I didn’t see that coming.” The young Uchiha blinked a few times and tried to regain his posture. He still had a certain image of Naruto in his mind, that was not correlating with Naruto having a boyfriend or any kind of ( _ sexual _ ) relationship  _ at all _ . Sakura and Sasuke followed Naruto who raced over the battlefield to get closer to the center. The Uchiha would be there and so would be their fight. 

“You missed a lot Sasuke.” Sakura giggled when she saw how that simple revelation seemed to stress the young Uchiha. The wind was howling around them while they ran. “Kakashi-Sensei IS his boyfriend.” 

Sasuke almost stumbled when Sakura told him that Naruto was in a relationship with their porn-reading Sensei. He had his eyes fixed on the blond, who was running in front of him. He started to mumble to himself to make himself understand how that Idiot, who ate Ramen for breakfast, lunch and dinner ended up in a relationship with porn-addicted Hatake Kakashi. “Hm. So you and that perv.” 

Naruto finally turned his head around. “Don’t call my man a perv! Temeeee!” He aggressively yelled at Sasuke. “Only I can call him that. That’s the prerogative of a boyfriend.”

Sasuke’s eyebrow shot up and he almost wanted to laugh.  _ Seems like it’s serious. _ He couldn’t even imagine how that worked, but he felt amused.

“Actually, they are kinda cute together.” Sakura looked at Naruto’s back and giggled softly. She could see that Sasuke was confused by Naruto’s relationship with Kakashi-Sensei.

Sasuke felt a pang of nostalgia hit his heart. It almost felt like the old times, when they would go on missions together and chat about meaningless or funny things. He took his position next to Naruto and got ready for the fight. “Anyways, let’s hope that your  _ boyfriend _ gets here soon. I think that we might need another pair of eyes and hands here very soon.” Sasuke said jokingly and watched as Naruto was blushing. 

“Yosh! Team 7! Let’s go!” Naruto shouted and got ready to fight.

***


	29. youthful love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a "short" (lol) side chapter to Gai's and Aoba's story, which will hopefully also give more insight to what is going on with the Bijuu.  
> I will not go into the direction with the ten tails. I will go into another direction FROM THIS POINT ON. hehe >.<
> 
> This Chapter follows the events of “Obito part 1” and “losing a friend and finding love”  
> Aoba and Gai separated on the island and go into different divisions  
> Kakashi is fighting against Obito  
> Naruto and Gai are trying to free the Bijuu 
> 
> It’s getting intense now!!  
> “Drama is coming.” - BUT before that, let’s take a break and enjoy some love. ;) 
> 
> As always;  
> Gai-Sensei is awesome, just like a kudo or a comment. <3

After they had parted ways Aoba had joined the intel-division, just like he said he would.    
_ Gai-san’s probably already on his way to join Kakashi-san at the front with the third division. _ Aoba felt some kind of foreboding, when he thought about his friends fighting at the front of this horrible war, but he knew that Gai-san, Kakashi-san and Naruto-kun would make it back. He also remembered Yamato and he hoped that they would be able to keep their promise. Hopefully they would be able to find their lost friend and bring him back to the village. Aoba finally understood how important Yamato was to Naruto and how much the young shinobi would suffer if Yamato would be lost in this war. Yamato had also become an important comrade to him as well, and he would feel horrible if they did not do everything in their power to bring him back. 

Aoba joined the intel-division in their headquarters in the eastern sector, which was led by the Head of the Nara Clan. Aoba was glad to serve under such an intelligent shinobi who would lead the entire shinobi alliance in this war. Everyone was working hard and tried not to show how tired they were. Aoba had watched Inoichi-san break down once after he had sent a message to the entire alliance. Aoba’s job was intel-gathering. He only wished he knew where Gai-san and the others were. 

“Naruto, Kakashi and Gai are fighting Uchiha Obito! Order the troops and every available shinobi to the following coordinates …” Shikaku was barking out his orders and Aoba was listening up.  _ Gai-san!  _ His heart was beating faster.  _ Gai-san is alive! They are alright and fighting … Uchiha Obito? I thought that Madara was our enemy, and wasn’t Uchiha Obito, Kakashi-san’s old teammate who had died years ago? What the hell is going on?  _ Aoba tried to hear more but it seemed that Shikaku-san was speaking closely with Inoichi-san and tried to get a connection to Kakashi and the others at the front. Aoba felt desperate. He wanted to know what the hell was going on and he wanted to know how Gai-san was doing! He got up from his desk and went over to Shikaku. “Excuse me, Shikaku-san.” 

The head of the Nara Clan turned to look at Aoba with a strained face. “Aoba-san, what is it?” 

“Please tell me how Gai-san is doing, I need to know.” He tried not to sound too worried, but he guessed that the Nara Clan leader had already seen through his facade. There was a short moment of silence in which Aoba feared for the worst and his brows drew together. He could feel his body tremble and his fists clenched as he averted Shikaku’s eyes. “Gai-san…”  _ He had promised. _

“Gai is alright, don’t worry. Kakashi has engaged in a fight with Obito though, which worries me greatly. Naruto has joined with the Bijuu, he says they are on our side, which is good, I guess, but they are under the control of the enemy right now and Naruto is trying to free them. Gai is with Naruto at the moment.” Shikaku explained quietly. 

Aoba took in a heavy breath and his hand reached for his chest. He squeezed his green jacket and tried to get his breathing back under control. “He’s alright…” 

Shikaku watched the young shinobi. Who would have expected that love would bloom between those two unlikely men, while Gai’s team was on a mission to protect Naruto? He never would have thought that he would see the day, when Gai would have a love interest. It certainly made him happy though to see that his friend had someone that cared for him so much.

“Thank you, Shikaku-san. I am so relieved to hear that Gai-san and the others are ok. I will go back to my work now.” 

Shikaku nodded and let his comrade go back to his desk. They would have a long night ahead of them and the work wouldn’t get easier. 

*

To say he was out of breath was an understatement. Fighting against the Bijuu, that were still controlled by the Uchiha, was on another level and now that Kakashi was locked in a fight with his old teammate, things probably couldn’t get much worse. Gai looked over to Naruto who was breathing hard and tried not to show how tired he truly was, but the Jonin could see the fatigue in the young man's features. Gai knew that his young friend’s heart was always reaching out to Kakashi’s, because he was worried. Gai wouldn’t have dreamed to see Obito again. To see Kakashi’s old teammate again was very painful for everyone. He couldn’t even imagine how Naruto might feel about the entire situation. 

Gai had already opened the first  _ five Hachimon Gates _ and tried to keep the massive beasts in check, but he knew that the only way to help Naruto and the Bijuu would be to finally pull out all the Chakra rods like Naruto had told them. 

“Gai-Sensei are you ready?” Naruto screamed and got ready for another attack. 

“Yes!” He clenched his fists and got ready to chase after Naruto. He could feel a surge of power when he opened the  _ sixth Hachimon Gate _ in his body. “YOSH! Naruto-kun, let’s show them our youthful power!” 

Naruto grinned at the Jonin. Gai-Sensei’s immense Chakra was crazy and he had to take a step back when another wave hit him. “YES, Gai-Sensei!!” He was so pumped when Gai-Sensei showed him a thumbs-up. Naruto could feel Kurama’s bright Chakra lighting up his entire body as he almost naturally took on the Bijuu-mode. Kurama's light was all around him and deep inside him. He smiled when he heard the fox grumble something about being careful. Gai and Naruto charged forward and went after the Bijuu again. They wouldn’t fail this time!

Naruto could see the rods in the bodies and with quick hand signals he told Gai-Sensei what they would do to take them out. Talking about strategies wasn’t possible in the heat of the fight when seven angry Bijuu were after your life. When Shukaku and Shaiken were free, Naruto knew that they could do this, they could really free them all! Matatabi’s happy purr made it all worth it when the last rod fell from her body. She leaned down and gently nudged her huge blue nose against Naruto’s small body. 

“Thank you, Naruto-kun.” She purred.

“Haha! Matabi-san! That’s alright!” He chuckled and pattet the blue Bijuu softly. 

The other Bijuu huddled around Naruto which made Gai a little uncomfortable but he could see the huge smile on Naruto’s face as he happily reached for the massive beasts to hug them. It seemed that they were rather fond of the young shinobi. Gai felt confused, like he had missed something essential, but he was sure that he would be filled in later. He watched his young friend happily patt and cuddle with the huge Bijuu. 

“I am so glad that you are free now, Saiken, Shukaku, Matatabi, everyone! Right Kurama?” Naruto waited for a moment until he pouted and blushed. “YES, YES. I know! MAH! That fox is always such a stick in the mud.” 

Matatabi giggled. “Kurama just worries about his little one.”

Gai didn’t quite understand what was going on, but it must have been funny, because the group that was huddled around Naruto seemed amused. The Jonin was still amazed as he watched the young shinobi gently pat the huge beasts when they nuzzled their heads or their noses into Naruto’s much smaller body, which made it seem rather comical, but Naruto didn’t seem bothered by their differences at all. 

“Everyone! Are you alright now? Did that crazy guy hurt you?” Naruto looked around the Bijuu with worried eyes. 

“We are alright now Naruto-kun.” Matatabi spoke for her brothers and sisters. She was so relieved to be free again and the joy she felt, to finally be reunited with her siblings was threatening to overwhelm her. She purred when she felt Saiken and Kokuo snuggle up to her. They had always been very gentle souls and she had missed them so much. 

“You kept your word, Naruto-kun.” Son murmured. 

“Hehe, weeeell.” He scratched his head and giggled embarrassed. 

“We are so thankful to you. We haven’t been together like this in such a long time.” Saiken’s gentle voice was muffled a little while she cuddled with her sister. “Naruto-kun has saved us.”

Naruto smiled up to the huge beasts and realized that they were just another family that wanted to be together. He was happy that he was able to help them. Naruto thought about Kurama and he wished that he could do something for the grumbling, grumpy fox that was still sealed inside him. 

_ Kurama, you should be with them.  _

**I will be. But someone has to keep an eye on you…**

_ Aww, Kurama. I can take care of myself, you know?  _

**I can see that very well… That’s why crazy Uchihas, the Akatsuki, and other mad people wanna kill you all the time.**

“Haha! Kurama you  _ DO  _ care about me, ne?”

There was more grumbling and Naruto giggled as he gently touched his sealing. “You know, I care about you too furball.” 

*

Naruto watched how Obito was pushing Kakashi more and more into a defense position. He had been fighting alongside Kakashi for years and he had never seen the other man like this. He had to do something. “Gai-Sensei, please stay with the Bijuu! I have to save Kakashi!” But suddenly he could hear the pained scream of Kokuo and Naruto stopped in his tracks. What was going on now? Kokuo fell to his knees and yelled in pain. The other Bijuu watched the scene with worried eyes. Befor Naruto could ask or do something, Kokuo got up and attacked the blond with fury. 

“Forgive me Naruto-kun!” He begged. “This is not me. I can’t control myself.” 

Naruto tried to find out what was going on, but there was no time. He had to evade the attack quickly. “Gai-Sensei, we have to find out what is going on. This is not normal. The Bijuu are gentle, somebody must be controlling them! But … I need to go and help Kakashi!” 

The other Bijuu were trying to help Naruto, but holding down Kokuo who was clearly under someone's control wasn’t easy. Naruto jumped and was lucky enough that he wasn’t hit by the massiv tail. This was tiring him out. Kokuo captured him in his tight grip and Naruto groaned when he wasn’t able to get away. He could hear Kakashi scream in pain when Obito pushed a Kunai in his leg and ripped the flesh open. Naruto could see blood splattering everywhere. “Kakashi!” He needed to get away! NOW! 

_ Kurama help me, please! I need to get to Kakashi!  _ He felt a frustrated tear run down his cheek. 

Kurama might be getting old and senile, but that was Madaras Chakra. He could feel it clearly . That was Uchiha Madara's Chakra, and he was close. Very close. He felt uneasy when he made sure that his Chakra was all around his little Jinchuriki. What would happen if Madara was here? 

Naruto was able to escape from Kokuo’s grip and Kurama had to watch how his sister fell unconscious. The blond used that momentum to race after his boyfriend to save him from another dangerous Uchiha. Kurama didn’t like this...

*

Gai felt anxious when his young friend raced away to help Kakashi. It had been a long time since Gai had seen that look on Kakashi’s face. They had been teenangers and Kakashi had been in a very dark place. Gai had taken the spare key of Kakashi’s flat and threatened his best friend that he would come every damn morning to drag the man out of bed if he had to. 

Kakashi told him that he wasn’t able to get up in the morning anymore. He had seen the defeat and the sadness in Kakashi’s eyes. “If you must…” 

Gai touched his shoulders. “If I must? I will. I won’t let you give yourself up like this.” Kakashi’s face was pale and he had lost so much weight over the last few weeks. Gai was worried that losing Rin and the Yondaime might have been too much for Kakashi’s fragile heart.    
“I can’t take it anymore. It was my fault, Gai, and  _ his  _ eye… it  _ hurts…  _ I can feel it burn.” 

“I wish you hadn’t accepted it, my friend.” Gai quietly answered and took a deep heavy breath. They looked at each other. The atmosphere was dark and heavy. 

“Hm… It will probably kill me one day, which I deserve.” Kakashi’s sad eyes tried to avoid Gai.

“Please don’t talk like that Kakashi. You will see, one day you will find something worth living for again.” 

“If you think so…” The silver haired man said and his tired body fell onto the couch. After that conversation, Gai showed up every morning to drag his friend out of bed when he couldn’t get up himself. He made sure that Kakashi ate and he took Kakashi to the training grounds. 

It had been a long time since he had seen that face on Kakashi. He had been so sure that when Kakashi first told him about his feelings for Naruto that this would be the end of Kakashi’s depression and his guilt from the past. “My Rival… Be safe.” 

For a moment Gai had been lost in his memories and hadn’t realized the man that appeared a few kilometers away. Matatabi growled and Gai quickly snapped out of his thoughts. “What is going on?” 

“That is Uchiha Madara, shinobi-san. He has appeared. He must have been the one that has controlled our poor sister.” Matatabi growled dangerously.

“WHAT? Madara?! Where?” Gai quickly jumped on top of Matatabi’s head to get a better view and he felt his stomach twist when he saw that it was indeed the old leader of the Uchiha clan. “But… how can this be?” He murmured completely shocked. 

“What should we do now, shinobi-san?” The Bijuu gathered together. “Should we wait for Naruto-kun?” Kokuo carefully asked. 

Gai looked over to his friends, and was glad to notice that Kakashi was finally back on his feet and fighting back against Obito. It seemed that all he had needed was a gentle reminder of what was important in his life. He would try everything to keep their friends safe too. “YOSH!! BIJUU! We should - “ But Gai wasn’t able to go on with his wonderful youthful speech because they were all surrounded in a cloud of mist. He was getting ready to defend himself but when he looked around he saw his dear students a few meters away and some of his comrades that he and Kakashi had been travelling with. Finally reinforcements were here! 

*

Guy jumped down and hurried over to where he could see his friends fussing over Kakashi. He almost wanted to call for him but as he opened his mouth to call Kakashi’s name, he saw how Kakashi and his young lover held each other in a tender loving embrace. Kakashi was holding on to Naruto tightly and Gai didn’t want to interrupt that tender moment between the lovers. He suddenly remembered his talk with Aoba on the Island and he just hoped that his friend was alright. His gaze dropped to the ground and he felt the sudden urge that Aoba had described to him. ‘ _ I would come running after you. _ ’ Aoba had been right after all. He wished he could be with his friend right now. They had promised each other that they would talk after the war was over but when he looked around Gai felt his usual enthusiasm dwindle. He gritted his teeth. He quickly shook his head and made his way over to Naruto who sat down after Kakashi left. Sakura started healing her teammate and Gai could hear the Kunoichi ranting from afar. He chuckled. 

“I can’t believe that I wasn’t the first that you told about your relationship. We are teammates. Baka.”

“Mah, Sakura-chan, I am so sorry, please don’t be angry with me. It was kinda wild, because there was this kiss and than I had to leave the village and -” 

“WHAT. KISS?! SHANNARO!” She punched Naruto’s shoulder which made the blond stumble over and crash into the ground with a loud, pained groan. “Oh. Sorry, Naruto! I was just so excited!” 

“Sakuraaaa-chaaaan!” 

Gai stopped in front of them and laughed. “Mah, mah! I see that the youthful wonder of friendship has guided your way back to us Sakura-san! Haha! That’s good! But I am not sure that Naruto-kun need’s more broken bones, maybe a gentle touch would be better?” 

“Ahaha, Yes, of course, Gai-Sensei.” She blushed and pulled her teammate aggressively towards her. “Come here Naruto. I will take care of you now.” 

Naruto groaned miserably. He could feel sweat form on his forehead when he looked at her wild face. “Sakura-chan, he said gently!” 

Shikamaru and the others finally made their way to Naruto and Shikamaru eyed his friend with a worried expression. “Naruto are you alright? What’s going on? What are we dealing with?” 

“Shikamaru! I am so glad to see you all!” Naruto looked around and smiled at Shikamaru, Ino and Choji. They seemed a little tired and Ino had a deep cut on her cheek but other than that, they seemed just fine. “Sakura-chan is much more dangerous than any enemy we could face. You shouldn’t worry - Aaaahhh Sakura-chan! Please stop hitting me!” 

“Then you should stop being such an Idiot and tell Shikamaru what is going on or I WILL BE YOUR REAL ENEMY SOON, SHANNARO!!!” 

Shikamaru, his teammates and Gai watched them with amusement. “Seems like the situation is not so serious after all.” Shikamaru said, when suddenly the Bijuu, who had been free only a few minutes ago, started stumbling around. 

“What is happening Naruto-kun?” Gai-Sensei asked. He felt alarmed when he watched the Bijuu scream and tumble against each other.

“I don’t know!” He mumbled and watched the huge beasts.  _ Kurama? Are you alright? _ he quickly asked the fox. 

**I am fine. But I fear that the other Bijuu are being controlled** . He hesitated for a moment.  **By Uchiha Madara.**

“Madara?!” Naruto screamed. Everybody was looking at Naruto like he had grown a second head. “Guys… Bad news.” 

“I guess we already know about those.” Shikamaru groaned. “What a drag… Madara? Do we need to fight him too? I knew it… I should have stayed at home.” Choji giggled and Ino huffed at the laziness of her friend. Naruto chuckled when he looked at his friend. He knew that Shikamaru wouldn’t hesitate if Naruto asked for his help. 

“I am sorry Shika, I guess cloud watching has to wait. We gotta finish this first you guys!” Naruto looked at the little group that had gathered around him and smiled at them all. “Don’t worry I will make sure that nothing will happen to you.” 

Sakura giggled. “You should save that kinda talk for Kakashi-Sensei, Naruto.” 

Ino gaped at her friend. “Whaaaat? What is going on?!” 

“Guys we should really concentrate on the Bijuu now.” Naruto looked to the girls next to him who were eagerly whispering. Ino suddenly squealed loudly. “Oh my god, Naruto-kun! That’s so lewd, starting something with your Senseiii.” She giggled. 

Choji and Shikamaru gaped at Naruto. “You. did. WHAT?” Shikamaru couldn’t believe that he had actually missed something like that about Naruto.  _ WHY  _ had Naruto not told him that something was going between him and Kakashi-san. “How long is this going on between you two? Just a second. -” Shikamaru closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. “I should have realized it. You two have been living together. I am blind. What is wrong with me?” 

Naruto groaned. “GUYS?! I love you all and I am so happy that you want to know about Kakashi and me and I promise that as soon as we get back, we are going to the BBQ together and I will tell you everything. Shika you haven’t missed anything, because this is really fresh and we are just kinda starting to find out how this works.” The girls cooed at him and he rolled his eyes, but he still fondly smiled at Sakura and Ino. “So… I hope you are alright with this… I mean, if baa-chan should give me the hat and all… and Kakashi and I …” 

Shikamaru punched him on the shoulder. “If? It’s  _ when  _ you baka, and who do you think I am doing all this damn  _ studying  _ for at the Tower? _ Hokage-sama…”  _ Shikamaru said jokingly _.  _ “I am fine with you and Kakashi-san being together. I just hope he will have a good influence on you when it comes to the paperwork, when you take the hat.” 

Naruto could feel his lips quiver. “Shikaaaaa!!” Sakura and Ino laughed when they watched how Naruto jumped at his friend and sobbed all over Shikamaru’s flack jacket. “Mah! Naruto, stop that!” 

“I can’t! I love you Shika! Dattebayo!”

“Yes, yes, keep that for Kakashi-san!” Shikamaru chuckled and tried to push Naruto off him. 

Ino laughed and huffed amused. “Yes Naruto-kun, you will make Kakashi and Temari jealous when they hear about you telling Shikamaru that you love him. Your partners won’t like that!” Naruto pulled away from his friend. He just couldn’t help it sometimes. He blushed and smiled at his friends. He loved them all so much. 

Gai looked at the young shinobi in front of him. He felt so proud of Naruto-kun and Shikamaru. They would be a good team at the Hokage Tower in the future. He was sure that the young Nara would guide his friend well. Shikamaru was spending a lot of time in the archives and at the missions administration desk these days preparing for the Hokage-Assistant job. Everyone knew that he was preparing for the days when Naruto took the hat. Nobody put more trust in Naruto than Shikamaru.   
He had to chuckle. Ino was right. He was glad that his friend wasn’t here to hear Naruto screaming around that he loved someone else but Kakashi. His dear Rival seemed to have strong jealous tendencies. He shook his head in an amused manner. Of course he knew that Naruto was just very emotional and attached to his friends and that he liked to show how much they all meant to him, but maybe he should talk to Naruto-kun after the war about that. 

“Naruto-kun? We should focus on the most important thing at hand, right now. The Bijuu and Madara.” Gai stepped closer to the small group. They huddled around Gai and focused their attention on him. 

“Yes, Gai-Sensei. We need to do something. They were free!! I can’t believe that Madara has them under their control now!” Naruto said angrily and clenched his fist. “Everyone! Listen to me! The Bijuu are on our side. They are really gentle and we need to free AND protect them!” 

Everyone nodded at Naruto. They were ready to follow him wherever he would go.

“But, if Madara had them under his Control, it seems like he still has problems with that. Look!” Shimamaru pointed at the massive bodies of the Bijuu. “Maybe controlling so many Bijuu at once is too much for him?” Shikamaru looked thoughtful and rubbed his chin. 

Naruto stood up straight and focused his attention on the Bijuu that were stumbling around and were still wildly crashing into each other. He could hear and feel their pained screams. “We need to help them. He is hurting them!” Naruto clenched his fists. 

Suddenly the Bijuu went quiet and raised their heads. 

“It seems like they will … attack?” Naruto whispered brokenly. They blasted a huge Bijuu Dama into the dark skies. Gai and the others could only watch when the Bijuu Dama landed in the ocean. It seemed like they were still fighting Madaras control. The destruction and the power were enormous. 

“What should we do? Do they have a target?” Naruto was looking around in panic, trying to find out what to do. The war was so far away from all the villages so they could protect the civilians. 

“We need to find out as soon as possible. We need to protect the villages at all cost, there are so many civilians. Come on Naruto-kun!” 

“Yes, Gai-Sensei!” Naruto immediately followed Gai. He was glad that Gai-Sensei was here and that he took the initiative, because there was so much going on around him, Madara, the Bijuu, Kakashi and Obito and suddenly there was too much noise and Naruto couldn’t concentrate any more. Worries overwhelmed him – but Gai-Sensei patted him on the shoulder and pulled him towards their goal. “Let’s do this Naruto-kun! Everyone! YOSH!” Naruto and the others followed Gai as the Jonin quickly made his way towards the Bijuu.

*

Matatabi fought against Madaras control. She wouldn’t be used like this. Not again. She could see the terrified faces of the shinobi on the battlefield, as they watched in horror as another Bijuu Dama was fired. This time they were able to avert the attack with their united forces. Matatabi wasn’t sure how long she and her siblings were able to fight Madara’s Sharingan. She could feel her consciousness slip away. Was this what they had done to Kurama all those years ago? Now she could understand his hatred towards the Uchiha clan. She screamed in despair when her body was going numb. 

*

“We have to do something about this!” Gai was panting. “We need to know what Madara’s target is!” The Jonin looked around and caught Shikamaru who seemed to converse with Headquarters. Naruto followed his eyes and realized the same. They hoped that Shikamaru found out what they should do.

Shikamaru reached for Naruto as if he just wanted to tell him some news when they all looked to the sky that was lit by the sheer force of the attack of the Bijuu. “NO! We need to stop it!” Naruto screamed and ran. “Where is this attack going?!” 

“Headquarters.” Shikamaru said. “Madara wants to destroy Headquarters.” 

Everybody looked at Shikamaru. 

Gai felt his blood run cold. Aoba. Aoba was there, with the Intel team. He watched the sky and begged all the divine forces to protect Aoba.  _ I didn’t tell him. I wasn’t able to tell him how I feel. _ Gai thought and sank to his knees. The Bijuu Dama crashed into the ground and buried everything underneath. Shikamaru and Ino held each other and Gai watched the two brave young shinobi trying to hide their tears. Their fathers had been in HQ guiding them all this entire time. 

Suddenly Ino screamed. “Dad!” Shikamaru, Naruto and Gai looked at her like she had gone completely mad. “Yes, I hear you!” She whimpered and sniffed as she realized that her father had connected them through their mind control Jutsu. She was quiet for a moment and listened to her father’s voice, before she started to cry. “Shikamaru! Shikamaru, they are alright! They left the HQ-Building before the attacks started!” 

Shikamaru hugged her and they laughed and cried happy tears. “What about my old man?!” He asked. The excitement and the anxiety was overwhelming.

“He’s just a little beaten up by the crash and the explosions, but he’s fine.” She smiled at her friend.

Gai walked up to Ino. His face was crunched up in worry as he shifted from one foot to the other. “What about Aoba-san? Please Ino-chan, ask about him.” 

“Of course, Gai-Sensei.” She concentrated on the connection with her father and smiled when she heard Aoba-san’s voice just moments later. 

_ Is Gai-san with you, Ino-chan?  _

_ Yes, he is. Do you want me to tell him something? _

_ Yes, please. Tell him that I am fine and that he has to stay alive. He promised me.  _

Ino smiled. Somehow, she had a feeling that something was going on between Gai-Sensei and the Intel-Expert. 

_ I will tell him, Aoba-san.  _

_ Thank you, Ino-chan.  _

Ino felt how her father gently stopped their connection. She blinked a few times and looked around. Shikamaru, Gai-Sensei and Naruto were intendly looking at her. 

“What happened? Did you talk to Inoichi-san? Is Aoba-san alright?” Gai asked. 

“I was able to talk to Aoba-san himself. He is alright and he wanted me to tell you, that you promised him to stay alive.” Ino, Shikamaru and Naruto turned to look at Gai-Sensei with wide eyes. 

Gai blushed heavily when he felt Naruto’s dirty grin directed at him. 

Naruto had been so sure that he had seen something develop between Gai-Sensei and Aoba-san while they were traveling together. He giggled happily. “Gai-Sensei, I think that you should go to the Intel Corps. They need you. If they get attacked again, they could use another pair of hands to defend our HQ, don’t you think so too Shika, Ino?” Shikamaru and Ino were following Naruto’s line of thoughts and Ino started to giggle as well. They could clearly see the embarrassment on the Jonins face but they were also happy for their Sensei. 

Shikamaru put his hands on his hips and huffed. “Mah, I would be happy if someone helped my lazy-ass Dad over there and I am sure that Ino would also be happy, if she knew that someone as capable as Gai-Sensei took care of their protection.” 

Gai snorted angrily. He could feel a laugh bubbling up inside his chest as he realized that Naruto had just played him very well. “Alright you three. You want to get rid of me or what?” 

Naruto hugged Gai and laughed. “No, Gai-Sensei! I just want you to go to Aoba-san! I know you like him!” 

Ino giggled happily and cooed at the blond as she watched Naruto hug Gai-Sensei. Naruto was just so precious in all his adorable ways. He would definitely make a great Hokage one day. 

Gai couldn’t stay mad at Naruto even if he tried and the blond had been right. He did like Aoba and he wanted to see him. He wanted to be with him. Desperately so. “But I have promised Kakashi to protect you.” He mumbled angrily. He could feel the conflict inside him as he watched Naruto’s happy face. 

“Don’t worry about Naruto. We will take care of that Idiot. But you should go, Gai-Sensei!” Ino rambled excitedly. Naruto’s loud ‘Hey!’ made Shikamaru laugh in the background. Gai listened to them bicker for a moment and pulled Naruto close. 

“Please be careful Naruto-kun. If anything should happen to you… I don’t know what he would do. He is fragile and he needs you more than you know.” Naruto smiled at Gai’s words. He knew that Gai was only worried about Kakashi and it touched his heart to know that Kakashi had such a good friend. “I know. I will be careful. I promise.” 

“Very well, my youthful friends.” Gai pulled the zip of his flak jacket up and got ready to leave. “I will leave you then! YOSH!” The green beast of Konoha took off in a rush to get to the stranded Intel Team, Inoichi-san and Shikaku-san. Most importantly his heart was starting to race when he thought that he would see Aoba again. Aoba was alright and he was alive. They would soon be together again. 

**

Gai raced over the battlefield and tried to be as fast as possible. He wasn’t sure how far Shikaku and the others were able to flee when the attacks started, but Ino had mentioned some wounds, which made him think that maybe they had been rather close to the initial attack sight. He raced over the rocky terrains and finally made it to the cliffs that the Bijuu had targeted. He looked over the explosion sight and tried to make out in which direction he should run. He concentrated and tried to feel for any Chakra Signatures. Maybe he would feel Aoba’s Chakra close by?    
He closed his eyes for a moment.    
While he stood there, desperately trying to find Aoba’s Chakra, a black bird suddenly landed on his shoulder. 

“What the… “ he looked at the bird. “ _ Aoba _ .” The bird croaked and lifted his wings up into the skies. It turned a few times over Gai’s head and took off over the crater sight. “Alright, take me to him.” Gai said and quickly followed the bird. 

He ran after the bird for some time. He realized the massive destruction of the Bijuu Dama. An entire forest had been destroyed but all he could care about was that Aoba had made it out alive. The bird led him to the outskirts of the forest, where just a few trees had remained. It landed on the ground in front of a small cave. 

Gai stepped closer to the cave and he was sure that he could hear Inoichi-sans voice the closer he got. He stepped inside and coughed. He felt a sigh of relief leave his body when he could see Inoichi-san, Shikaku-san and the rest of the HQ and Intel team. They were pretty banged up, some had blood all over their faces, their uniforms were ripped, but they were alive. They got up when they saw Gai and immediately smiles broke out on all of their faces. “Gai-san!” Inoichi-san said. “You came! We are so glad to see you.” 

Gai laughed and stepped a little closer. “A little bird helped me to find my way here.” He shrugged and scratched his nose. He felt a little embarrassed. The crowd in front of him parted and Aoba pushed through. He stumbled through the crowd of his colleagues and stood in front of Gai. For a moment the Intel Expert just stood there and looked at him with insecurity clearly written all over his face. Gai hesitated but suddenly Aoba rushed forward and pulled Gai into his arms. “I knew you would come!” He whispered into Gai’s ear. “I knew you would find me.” Gai smiled and wrapped his arms around the trembling shinobi. 

“I promised. Didn’t I?” Gai buried his face in Aoba's neck. “I am so glad that you are alive. I was so scared that you were …” His arms wrapped a little tighter around the other man. Was this what Kakashi felt all the time for Naruto? 

_ Love. Worry. Devotion. Happiness.  _

“I am fine. I think I might have some broken ribs though, but I don’t care right now.” 

Aoba’s hands were tenderly brushing through Gai’s short black hair. He could feel the sweat on Gai’s neck, which was a friendly reminder to Aoba that Gai had been fighting non stop at the front. He was so glad that Gai was alright and that he was here now.

Gai closed his eyes for a moment and concentrated on the feeling of having Aoba in his arms. He remembered their last conversation on the island. He wouldn’t lose any more precious time. “You were right. On the island. There is something. I do like you.” 

Aoba laughed and sniffed as he squeezed his eyes shut. He was happy to be alive. The attack had barely missed them and some of their group were pretty badly hurt, but luckily, because of Shikaku's brilliant mind, they were alive. All of them. Because he had decided to abandon HQ as soon as possible, because the next plausible goal would be the members of HQ. If they had left only minutes later, they would have all been dead, and he wouldn’t have been able to see Gai again. He wouldn’t have been able to listen to him say those precious words that he had wished to hear. He could feel a tear run down his cheek as the sheer happiness of being alive settled into his bones. “I like you too, Gai. I really like you.” 

He could hear whistles and snickering behind him and he quickly rubbed his eyes before turning around to glare at his teammates. “Uhh Aoba-san, I didn’t know that you were hungry for Elite-Jonin.” One of his Teammates chuckled. 

Inoichi and Shikaku wobbled over to them. Inoichi had a broken leg and Shikaku had to help his friend walk. “I already had a feeling there was something going on between you two, when you asked about Gai-san earlier.” Shikaku said and smiled gently. “It’s not like you to be so worried. You are usually so level-headed. I’ve been on several missions with you, Aoba.” Aoba felt embarrassed.

Gai reached for his hand and gently squeezed it. “We can talk about everything when all of this is over and when we are back in the village.” 

Aoba nodded and smiled at Gai. He was sure that he had never felt so deeply for someone before. “That sound’s good.” He said quietly. 

“Inoichi-san, Shikaku-san, I am very pleased to see you both alive and well too. Your children were quite worried when they thought that something might have happened to you.” Gai told the Clan leaders. They moved deeper into the cave and sat back down on their makeshift camp. “Naruto-kun wanted me to stay with you, in case there’s another attack.”

The other shinobi immediately listened carefully, when Gai started talking about Naruto. “What is going on out there, Gai-san?” 

“What happened between Kakashi-san and Obito?”

“Is it really Uchiha Obito?” 

“Is it true that Kakashi-san and Naruto-kun are together?!” 

Gai watched in amusement when they all scooted closer together and awaited news and information from the front. “Well… Let me tell you what is  _ really  _ going on out there my youthful friends!” Gai sat down a little more comfortable and he could feel Aoba scoot a little closer to his side. Their hands were almost touching. Most enthusiastic he started telling them about epic fights and dramatic love that was conquering all. Inoichi smiled at Gai, thankful that their friend was here. They could need some happy stories right now. The wounded shinobi huddled together, holding each other when the pain of a broken bone was too bad, or a wound wouldn’t stop bleeding. Gai’s stories made them forget their pain and little smiles were dancing over their faces as they listened to the epic tales of Kakashi’s and Naruto’s love. 

***


	30. Uchiha Madara

Madara could feel that something was wrong with his comrade. His wounds didn’t heal, and the blood was dripping over his abdomen. What was taking Obito so long? Hatake Kakashi should be dead by now. He had only agreed to let Obito have this much freedom because it would give him enough time to find Hashirama and his stupid brother. What was taking so long? He let the pull of his Kamui carry his body to his clansman. The fight with the Sannin had been exciting, he had to admit that. The man had been like a force of nature. He hadn’t had such a fight in a very long time. He coughed and licked the blood from his lips. That damn snake had almost killed him. 

The Kamui had carried him to the spot where Obito should be, but when he opened his eyes again, he emerged from the time and space Jutsu and stood in a devastated battlefield. Madara looked around and tried to take in what was going on around him. He could clearly see _that pest of a Jinchuriki_ , trying to free the Bijuu with the help of a black-haired man in a green spandex suit. He took in the rest of the battlefield. Obito wasn’t nearby. He grunted. That boy was really good for nothing. That means that he was probably still fighting with Hatake Kakashi. He should have never taken him in. He concentrated his Chakra and called two white Zetsus that soon emerged from the ground. 

“Where is that stupid boy?” Madara asked the creatures. Annoyance and anger clear in his voice.

“Obito-kun is engaging in a fight with Hatake Kakashi, Madara-sama. He should be back soon.” 

“Ha! That idiot. I hope he settles things soon. I gather that you’ve been successful. Since life has returned into my body.”

“Yes Madara-sama. It wasn’t easy though. He resisted quite a bit.” The Zetsus pulled the lifeless body of Hashirama from the ground and laid it before his feet. The Uchiha look at him without much emotion. 

“I see, and his brother?” He moved his feet over Hashirama’s cheek and pushed the lifeless head away from him. 

“We concentrated on taking Hashirama, Madara-sama, to complete the reanimation Jutsu and bring you back into this life. We hope that pleases you?” 

“It does. Now get Tobirama. Bring him to me.” 

“Yes Madara-sama.” The creatures bowed before their master and disappeared into the ground again.

Madara kneeled down next to Hashirama and lifted his face, so he could look at him. The Senju couldn’t move anymore since the Jutsu the Zetsus had used to bring back their leader had drawn out all his Chakra and his life energy. His eyes slowly moved over to Madara. “Why are you doing this? Why did you start this war?” Hashirama quietly spoke. He could feel his Edo-Tensei body weaken. He didn’t have much time left.

“Hashirama, as always, you underestimate the power of love and hate that people feel. I didn’t start this war; I am simply enjoying the view. You have always thought the best of people, and I admire that about you, but you should see the world how it really is. In all its ugliness and with all its imperfections. Not the dreamworld that you want to live in. You should see what people feel in their hearts when they lose what is most important to them. You have to understand the darkness in men’s hearts when we lose our loved ones.” Madara stopped for a moment. “You have never understood that Hashirama.” 

The Hokage looked at the Uchiha and wanted to speak, but he could feel his energy leaving this body. His gaze shifted tiredly down to the ground. “Do you still hate me and the village so much because your brother died? Can you not forgive me for what happened so long ago? This generation has **nothing** to do with our fight. This body may die soon, but I can still clearly see that you are **using** that boy for your games, Madara.” 

Madara shifted his body closer to Hashirama. He watched, with glee glimmering in his dark eyes, how the once proud Hokage started to decay in front of his eyes. Hashirama’s Edo Tensei body would soon fall to dust and he would return to his old self. “So much time has passed, and you haven’t changed Hashirama. You were a great shinobi and a great leader, but you never had any idea what it meant to someone when they felt _emotional_ pain. What would you know about the love of this lonely boy? You have never felt such pain. You had your brother, your wife, your family and your precious little village. You have no idea what pain feels like. I am not using him. I am simply … _presenting an option for him_ .” Madara chuckled darkly and slowly got up. “I guess I should thank you. If it wasn’t for your regenerating abilities I wouldn’t be here now. You saved me old friend. One life for another. One Edo-Tensei must leave this earth, while another will be reborn!” He yelled and spread his arms. “Since the one who had cast this Jutsu had died this body would have suffered your faith. Did you know how many _‘forbidden’_ Jutsus your dear brother created in his life other than the Edo-Tensei? I am sure that he told you what you can do with your regeneration ability when it comes to the Edo-Tensei?” 

Madara waited a moment and started to laugh menacingly. “He never told you?! Did he? What a loving and caring family you have Hashirama. Well, now in the last moments of your existence, I have at least told you the truth. Maybe it was always Tobirama's plan to use your cells if you two were ever called back from the dead and –“ 

“Stop this! Your words are nothing but **poison** , Madara!” 

Madara looked at his old friend and grunted. His eyebrows were drawn together and his fingers were steadily tipping in a wild rhythm on his hip. “I used you, because your cells are the only way to break the Edo-Tensei. You will be gone soon Hashirama.”

Hashirama looked at Madara with sad eyes. “And what will YOU do? Have you not understood that WE do not belong in this new world anymore? This is not _our_ world. This is not _our_ time. We are nothing but relics in this world that you wish to destroy. What is your goal here?” 

Madara growled. He hated those kinds of speeches. Hashirama had always tried to be an outstanding moral fiber when they were young, and he tried to be again. “You know I hate it when you speak like that. I always did.” 

“Well maybe someone has to!” Hashirama could feel his last energy flare up in anger when Madara yelled at him. Why did his old friend have to be so stubborn?! “We do not belong here, Madara please listen to me, I –“ 

“NO! I will make this world BURN!” 

Hashirama wished that he could do something to stop Madara, but his body was slowly breaking apart.

*

They were on their way to the front and the Yondaime Hokage had already left the group, because his Hiraishin no Jutsu would take him there the fastest. Sasuke and Orochimaru were a little bit slower and it seemed like they wanted to talk, so Tobirama and Hashirama went ahead which left the Sandaime, who decided to keep an eye on the young Uchiha.

“Are you sure that you will be alright Saru?” Hashirama asked his student with a worried look. 

“Of course I will be. I want to keep an eye on Orochimaru and Sasuke-kun. You should go ahead. Minato has probably arrived already and will need your help.” 

“He’s right Hashirama, we should hurry.” Tobirama said with a serious expression on his face.

The brothers nodded when they smiled gently at their student and left him with Orochimaru and Sasuke-kun. Hashirama was sure that Sarutobi would be alright and that he would make sure that the young Uchiha arrived at the front like he had promised. He actually worried more about Orochimaru. They were called back into life once before and it had been that same man who had used the Edo-Tensei Jutsu for a very selfish and cruel reason. 

“Brother, I know you worry about Saru, I do as well, but we need to stay focused right now. We need to take care of this war.” 

“I know Tobirama. I can’t help it though; he was our student and I wish to protect him.” Hashirama murmured. 

They ran for some time and Hashirama wished that they would arrive soon, but it was just one massive rock formation after another and the endless golden dunes of the Suna dessert that they had to cross. 

“Take my hand brother, it will be quicker if I –“ Tobirama wanted to grab his brother's hand but suddenly he was forcefully punched into the ground and spun across the planes into one of the massive rocks. He was nothing but a reanimated shell, he felt no pain, but if he were alive, he would have been dead. He looked around to see their attacker. With a frustrated groan he pushed some rocks out of his way and tried to get back to where they were attacked. Tobirama tried to find his brother and when he finally heard a panicked yell he raced to the source of the noise. 

Hashirama was tied to the ground by six strange white creatures. “Hashirama!” They made it impossible for his brother to get free. He didn’t hesitate but immediately attacked the enemy and tried to free him. “Get off him!” 

Suddenly there were more and more of the white creatures they were all over and all around him. He had to fight them off. He jumped into a safe distance when he tried to defend himself with a Suiton-Jutsu, but he realized that his enemy didn’t really care about him or his attacks, they only cared about Hashirama. 

_They are after his regeneration abilities! What’s going on?!_ He thought and panicked when he saw one of the creatures lean over Hashirama and perform some strange hand signs that he had never seen before. Hashirama’s body was glowing for a moment before it went completely still.

“Hashirama!” Tobirama screamed his brother’s name in panic as he started to attack the creatures again and again, but the more he killed, the more returned and kept him from helping Hashirama. He could only watch when they took the unmoving body of his brother and disappeared into the ground. 

*

Hashirama hoped that his brother had been able to escape, he could feel his conscience leave him. He tried to stay awake. What would happen with Tobirama and Saru? He just hoped that his dear brother and his student would be alright. His eyesight was getting blurry. It was alright though. He had never belonged in this world anyway. His thoughts drifted to the poor young Uchiha boy that came to them, so confused and full of questions. What would happen to him? Would he find his friend and would he find his peace? Hashirama closed his eyes. What about his beloved grandchild? He wished he could have seen her all grown up. She must be beautiful and strong. Orochimaru had told them that Tsunade was the Hokage now? There was no heart in his empty chest, he was just a reanimation of a dead body, but if he had a heart, it would pound strong and fast, because he felt so happy for his beloved grandchild. His little Tsuna. Maybe she was married, or in love? What about the village? He was sure that Tsuna would take good care of Konoha. 

“Tsunade.” His lips formed the name brokenly before his body fell apart. He smiled and felt how his body dissolved, it was slowly breaking apart and carried away by the wind. 

Madara watched as Hashirama’s body dissolved. He looked down on the deep wounds on his upper body that had been inflicted by the Sannin. Blood was still freely running down his chest. He could feel a clear change in his body when the wounds started to knit themselves together. He groaned in pain as he felt flesh and bone knit together. He took in a deep breath and angrily wiped away some of the blood that was still smudged over his chest and his face. “I am alive Hashirama.” 

He touched his chest and he could feel the strong heartbeat. “Now I will find Obito and get rid of that Jinchuriki-brat and those Bijuu.” 

His Mangekyo Sharingan was glowing dangerously in his eyes. He should try to get them all under his control, but his eyes were not strong enough yet. He would try to get one under his control first. He concentrated on the five tails and soon he could feel the Bijuu slip under his control. With a pained cry the huge beast fell to his knees and screamed. He would kill that brat first and then he would destroy the Headquarters of this shinobi alliance. After that, when they were vulnerable, he would destroy them all. 

It was more difficult to hold the Bijuu under control than he thought. His glowing Sharingan was burning into the Jinchuriki who had been able to save the Bijuu. AGAIN.  
He had taken the Bijuu into a safe distance behind the lines of the shinobi-alliance. Madara had to chuckle darkly. Did that idiot really think that those bibbering cowards down there could protect the Bijuu? Nothing could protect them. 

*

Obito made his way back to the battlefield and immediately joined Madara, who took care of the other’s wounds by joining flesh of the white Zetsu with the wounded Obito. Obito watched how simply his wounded body healed. It was the most disgusting and painful process, which made him squirm on the ground, but it felt like his body was whole again. As whole as it could be when it wasn’t even your own body anymore. He groaned in pain when he got up again. Madara watched him with unhidden disgust on his face. Obito knew that Madara was only using him. Obito knew that from the beginning, but he didn’t care. All he cared about was his revenge.

“You are weak.” Madara whispered. His voice was harsh. 

“I know.” Obito looked down at the shinobi that had gathered before them. He could see Naruto who was running towards them with two other shinobi following him. Obito’s bit his lips when he watched the young blond. He was so idealistic, so full of hopes and dreams… so full of love. Obito had looked at Naruto and he saw himself in those blue eyes, that’s why he hated Naruto so much. He wanted to kill that happy and idealistic smile and show that stupid boy reality. Obito would make him see that no matter how much you love someone it will not save that person from death. “I will not fail again…” he gritted his teeth. 

“I hope so.” Madara looked at his fellow Uchiha with apprehension and turned back to the fight in front of him. “We have to take the Hachibi and the Kyuubi. Now.” He was pointing towards the Bijuu, who had huddled together behind the allied shinobi forces. Obito immediately knew what had happened while he was fighting Kakashi in the other dimension. 

“I see. I will take care of this.” Obito nodded and waited for a moment for Madara’s further orders and explanations. 

“No failure this time, Obito. We need the Hachibi and the Kyuubi to make our plan work.” 

Obito simply nodded obediently. This would finally be the end of the Jinchuriki, the Bijuu and the shinobi world. “Obito, get ready.” 

“Yes.” His life had ended when Rin had died and now, he would make Kakashi suffer the same. A shadow fell over Obito’s eyes when he touched his chest. The place where he felt Kakashi’s hand pierce his flesh. He had felt how far his old friend would go to save and protect Naruto, but he would go the same lengths to get his revenge. 

The rock under his feet was grumbling when he concentrated his Chakra. Obito’s fingers effortlessly went through the signs of the summoning Jutsu. Everyone watched transfixed in horror when Obito called the Gedo Statue that would allow Madara and him to not only extract the Hachibi and the Kyuubi but also hold the other Bijuu. He sank to his knees and let the Gedo Statue grow to her full height.

***


	31. Sasuke part 4 - dead men walking

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Brace yourselves. Angst and Drama are coming...  
> Please don't hate me. :(  
> The FLUFF will return!

„Naruto, we should split up.” Sasuke muttered anxiously as they moved closer to the center of the battle. “I will take on Madara.” His Sharingan was glowing dangerously in his eyes and Naruto felt glad that for the first time in his life Sasuke’s angry stare wasn’t directed at him. 

“Alright, if you think that you can take him… We should do something about the other guy and that creepy statue. Sakura-chan, will you come with me?” 

Sasuke pulled out his sword and got ready to leave Naruto and Sakura. He took one last longing look at them and jumped away. Madara was close and he had to keep his mind focused. Sasuke was glad that Sakura would stay with Naruto in this battle. He would take much better care of her and she would be safe with him. The fight with his Clansman would be hard, of that he was sure. The hilt of his sword felt cold and heavy and the blade was glistening in the dark light of the evening. Sasuke had fought with this blade many times, but he never felt this tense before. In the near distance he was able to see Madara’s long black hair and he could hear his booming voice. When he was a child, his father told him many stories of Uchiha Madara and his great fights. He told him everything about the great abilities of his Sharingan. His father made sure that Sasuke knew every story there was to tell about the great legend of the Uchiha clan. Looking back on his family he was glad that his father had spent so much time telling him about Madara. Now that this man would be his opponent, he hoped that maybe his knowledge about him might come in handy.

Sasuke didn’t wait and shifted his weight, so he could sprint the last few meters that were separating him from Madara. He pulled his sword out and immediately went in for his first attack. He got frustrated when his first attacks didn’t hit. Even though it seemed that his opponent didn’t give his all, Sasuke realized that he was at a disadvantage. He needed to up his game. He tried to burn Madara with the flames of his Amaterasu, but when that failed, he went back to more physical attacks. He watched as Madara simply absorbed the black flames and laughed. 

“You are an Uchiha, just like me. You could join us and see the world like we do. We have the same eyes – you and I.” Madara laughed at Sasuke, who was trying his hardest not to lose sight of Madara’s quick moves. 

“I have seen this world through eyes like yours for the longest time, and I know that this was the wrong way. I can see much clearer now – “ He choked when Madara’s fist punched him in the stomach and he sank to the ground.“ – I see with eyes unclouded, – just like my Nii-san.” Another punch hit his face and his sword fell from his hands. 

“Your Nii-san must have been a real fool then.” Madara picked up the sword. “Because all I see is a weak child, unable to protect himself or the people he fights with.” He kicked Sasuke in the ribs until he wasn’t able to move anymore. With one foot he kept the young Uchiha on the ground. “You are a shame for the Uchiha Clan.” Madara took the sword into both hands and pushed it through Sasuke’s chest. 

Sasuke groaned in pain when the metal made contact with his flesh. Madara was right. He was a shame for the Uchiha name. He had betrayed his village, his friends, his brother and now he would die as a traitor who had done nothing but fight for wrong reasons. He fought against his friends and in the moment when it truly mattered, he wasn’t able to be there for Naruto and Sakura. His team. He had disappointed them all – again. Madara would take the Kyuubi. He would kill Naruto and it was Sasuke’s fault.

“Nii-sa… n.” Sasuke felt the burning pain in his chest where the sword had pierced his body. He couldn’t die yet. This couldn’t end yet. Itachi had protected him for so long and he made a promise to his brother that he would live.

Madara watched the young Uchiha struggle with every breath and it seemed that he was a stubborn one. This one didn’t wanna die yet. But Madara didn’t care. “Seems like you are not ready to go? You are stubborn… You should have just joined us.” 

“Hnnn. Naru-to.” He grunted. 

Madara’s face scrunched up in disgust. “That filthy Jinchuriki.” He kneeled down to look more closely into Sasuke’s face. “Don’t worry, we will make it a quick death for that beast.”

Sasuke was sweating and a few tears were running down his cheeks. The pain was excruciating, and he felt his blood drenching the fabric of his clothes. His fingers dug into the earth. As long as he could feel the earth and the dirt underneath his fingers, he was alive. 

“I… would have… never... – “ Sasuke coughed and blood was running down his lips and his chin. He could taste the blood on his tongue. “ – joined…you…” His vision left him and slowly everything started to blur together. His thoughts were getting dark and the taste of blood on his lips was intense. He tried not to lose consciousness but the pull into nothingness was getting too strong. Everything was getting dark and his body felt heavy. Suddenly the pain wasn’t as bad as it was before and Sasuke felt like his body was floating. 

Maybe he would see Itachi again? Maybe Itachi was waiting for him… 

_Itachi…_

**

After the Kage were defeated by Madara, Gaara knew that they couldn’t fail again. He took the Hokage and Orochimaru on his sand to the center of the fighting. He still couldn’t believe that it had been Orochimaru who came to save them. He saw the tender way the man looked at Tsunade. Maybe Gaara’s inexperience with love spoke for him but he saw so much emotion in that snake-like face. They were almost at the center of the battle when they stopped. “I feel Naruto’s Chakra. He is close. I have to hurry and help him.” Gaara said when he landed close to the center of the fight. “Will it be alright if we split up here?” 

“Of course, Gaara. You need to find Naruto! Please help him!” Tsunade saw the same worry in Gaara’s eyes that she felt deep in her heart. Orochimaru was by her side in an instant and kept Tsunade steady. He helped her when they stepped down from Gaara's sand. “Let me help you Tsunade.” Tsunade wanted to pull away but feeling her old teammate at her side made her feel safe and warm all of a sudden. Orochimaru came for her when she most needed him. She sagged against him and let him take her into his arms. “Thank you, Orochimaru…” 

His eyes rose to look at the young Kaze Kage. “Don’t worry, Kaze Kage-sama. I will take care of this. You have to go after Naruto-kun.” Gaara thanked the Sannin and even though he felt tired, exhausted and his whole body was in pain he knew that he had to hurry and get to his friend as soon as possible. 

“We should hurry and find Sasuke-kun, Tsunade. I have a bad feeling that something might have happened to him.” The Hokage nodded and the two Sannin hurried over the battlefield. They saw Naruto and Sakura in the distance as they were trying to get closer to Obito, who had trouble getting the Edo Statue under his control. 

“Madara.” Tsunade whispered heatedly. When she saw the older Uchiha racing towards the Statue. Orochimaru stayed quiet. They knew that they had to find Sasuke quickly. 

**

Sasuke was pulled out of his dream by a loud voice. Actually, there were two voices and it sounded like they were fighting with each other. Sasuke groaned in pain. He opened his eyes and looked into the faces of Orochimaru and Tsunade. They stopped talking at once and looked down at the young Uchiha. 

“Aha! The patient has awoken.” Tsunade said jokingly. Her clothes were torn, and her face and body looked a little beaten up, but otherwise she was still as beautiful as always. Sasuke felt her healing Chakra float over and through his body. His near fatal injuries were healing fast and he could barely believe that he was still alive. 

“Good to see you awake, Sasuke-kun.” Orochimaru grumbled from his place next to Tsunade. Sasuke noted how close his old master was to the loud woman who was healing him. Somehow this proximity irritated Sasuke. This war was far less irritating to Sasuke than people’s love-life, he realized. First Naruto and Kakashi, now Orochimaru and Tsunade? What the hell would happen next? He closed his eyes for a second and tried to focus on Tsunade’s healing Chakra. He huffed and let his hands feel the earth under his hands. At least Sakura hadn’t started dating Rock Lee. That would have been too much for his nerves in one day. 

“See? I told you, his injuries are very serious, it’ll take me some time to fully heal him.” Tsunade’s boisterous voice sounded loud to his ears. 

“I never doubted your medical judgment Tsunade-hime, I was just suggesting that we should hurry –“ 

“YOU – should not hurry me. YOU have been absent pretty long, Orochimaru, and just because YOU suddenly appear out of nowhere to save me, doesn’t mean that you are out of trouble, because –“ 

“I made him come back…” Sasuke’s voice sounded rough and weak when he spoke. His lungs were protesting against every word, but he really couldn’t listen to this _flirt-fighting_ any longer. 

Tsunade looked down at the young Uchiha whom she was healing, and she felt irritated. “You did?” She asked. “I can’t really imagine anyone _making_ Orochimaru do anything. You would have done something that no one else was able to do…” She wasn’t able to keep the hurt and anger out of her voice. 

Orochimaru realized the biting tone of his old teammate. He let his eyes drop and tried not to look at Tsunade directly. Of course, he could have come back to the village many times. He could have returned to Tsunade and Jiraiya whenever he wanted but with each year that had passed, he felt the distance grow more and returning seemed like an impossible task in his mind. Even though he often thought of his teammates and his village he never dared to return, until he attacked Konoha. Sometimes he felt such anger and rage against the village but the older he got the wiser he became, and he learned from his mistakes. When he learned of Jiraiya’s death he regretted deeply that he never spoke to his friend again and that they had never put an end to their old argument. He also felt a deep regret that he had never seen Tsunade again. Tsunade … Since his childhood days the blond Kunoichi was the woman in his dreams and the only one in his heart, but she had only loved Dan and later on she fell in love with Jiraiya. Orochimaru knew that he had never been as kind and sweet as Dan and he had never been as dashing and funny as Jiraiya, but he was stubborn, and he had a lot of patience. He would endure. “Tsunade-hime, Sasuke-kun asked me to help him when he needed certain answers from the four Hokage, that’s why I used the Edo-Tensei. They are helping the Shinobi Alliance now as well, aren’t they? I thought this might please you? I am here, and I am not going anywhere.” 

“We will see about that.” The blond Hokage grumbled while she was focusing on Sasuke’s injuries again. 

Sasuke was irritated by Orochimaru’s behavior, but he decided not to ask. Much more important was the ongoings of the war and Naruto’s whereabouts. “Where’s Naruto and Sakura? How are –“ The cough that rattled his lungs was painful but Sasuke had to ask the two Sannin about his teammates.  
“ – how are they?” 

“Calm down Sasuke, Madara almost killed you. The sword pieced your lungs and – “ 

“That doesn’t matter. I need to know –“ He coughed again and he could taste the metallic flavor of blood on his tongue. “Naru- to and Saku-ra?” 

“You shouldn’t speak. I need to heal the damage, you stupid boy!” Tsunade focused more Chakra and tried to repair the damaged tissue in Sasuke’s body. “Naruto has joined the fight against Obito and Madara to protect the Bijuu. Madara and Obito have summoned a huge Gedo Statue and they are trying to take the Kyuubi and the others. We don’t know yet what will happen when they take the Bijuu, but the Kaze Kage and Sakura are with Naruto right now, and I hope that Kakashi is with him too.... – Sasuke! What are you doing!? You need to stay still; your body can’t take another fight!! You will –“ 

“I know. I can feel it, but I know that I am a dead man anyway. Isn’t that true Hokage-sama? I know that there is no way for me to ever return to the village, no matter how much Naruto talks about it… and you probably also had to consider the wishes and orders from the council. You don’t have to tell me what the council said, I can imagine their words very well. I met Itachi before I resurrected Orochimaru. I had time to think about my life and my future… Even if I had a lifetime to atone for my sins it would never be enough, but I can still use the time that is left to me and do something right. You have to let me go, Hokage-sama. I can help him. I can save him. He has to live.” 

Tsunade’s sad eyes were fixed on the young man in front of her. It was true, her Chakra was almost at an end and she wouldn’t be able to save Sasuke. The Uchiha was also right about the council. They made it quite clear to her that there would be no place for Uchiha Sasuke in Konoha if he wished to return. After the war, the council would have started to urge her to deploy the Hunter Anbu to hunt down the rogue Uchiha. She tried to keep it together for Naruto and Team 7 but listening to Sasuke’s words made a lone tear run down her cheek. She couldn’t speak. She wished circumstances were different, but as she looked at Sasuke’s calm face, she understood that he already made peace with his fate. 

“Orochimaru. You have to help me up. My legs, they –“ Sasuke’s voice was just as unsteady as his legs. He had lost a lot of blood and Tsunade was right, he was in no condition to jump into another fight, but he had to. He had to help his team. This one last time. Itachi had protected him all this time and he died to protect Konoha. He would not stand by and watch while the memory of his beloved brother was tarnished. 

“Of course, Sasuke-kun.” The Sannin kneeled next to his student and gently helped him stand again. “You need to take the Hokage away from here. You need to keep her safe.” Orochimaru nodded weakly as his hands let go of the young man. Even though he never really had any paternal feelings for his students like Jiraiya or any of his peers had described their bonds with their students, he suddenly felt saddened. 

“Hokage-sama, you need to make me a promise.” 

“What is it Sasuke-kun?” She brokenly whispered, as she watched the young beaten man stand on wobbly legs. 

“Naruto will change this world. You should make him Hokage. Promise me.” He turned around and looked at the two Sannin. A soft smile was on his lips. “I will not be able to see that idiot take the hat, but maybe you could come and tell me and Nii-san about it?” There was an underlying pleading tone in Sasuke’s voice. 

The Sannin understood what Sasuke was asking for and Tsunade quickly got up to wrap her arms around the raven-haired man. “I promise. I will tell you all about it when he takes the hat…, and we will find Itachi’s body and bring him home to Konoha. Don’t worry, you will be together again.” 

He felt assured that the Hokage would indeed find Itachi and bring him back to Konoha where he would be laid to rest. “I wish to be reunited with my brother when I am dead.” He quietly said and let his broken and beaten body be held in a gentle embrace. 

“Of course.” Tsunade’s voice was but a mere whisper now. “I promise, you will be laid to rest by his side.” 

Sasuke pulled away from her and bent down to take the sword that Madara had carelessly dropped next to his body. Blood had seeped into the dark earthy ground and Sasuke tried to get sick when he cleaned his sword on his shirt. His hands were shaking, and he felt unsteady when he got up again. 

The Sannin watched Sasuke’s slow movements when he cleaned his sword and put it back into its sheet. Tsunade felt the worry and sadness radiating off from Orochimaru and she too felt a great deal of sorrow when she saw the young Uchiha sprint away without losing another word. It seemed like he had told them everything that he had to say and now all that was left for him was to save the future of the village that Itachi had loved so much. 

Tsunade turned to Orochimaru and wrapped her arms around him. “When Sasuke falls, the line of the Uchiha Clan will end. I can’t believe that we weren’t able to save him.” 

He could feel her tears soaking his shirt. She wasn’t sobbing, she was silently weeping for this young man, a young life, for the future that he wouldn’t be able to see, for lovers that he wouldn’t be able to meet, for missions that he wouldn’t go on and for his friends and his team that would cry bitter tears for losing someone so dear to them. Orochimaru wrapped his arms around Tsunade and softly pressed his nose into Tsunade’s blond hair. It was a little disheveled and dirty from the fight with Madara, but she was still as beautiful as ever.  
His heart felt heavy too with the realization that with Sasuke’s departure he would lose his student forever. They have never been really close, and their relationship had been rather disastrous but, in the end, he felt like Sasuke trusted him when it came down to the heavy and serious stuff. He was touched that he was the one that Sasuke called for help. 

“When I tried to heal him, I could feel so much internal bleeding. It was a wonder that he was waking up at all. He won’t survive this fight…” Tsunade whispered against Orochimaru’s chest, her arms were tightly wrapped around his torso. Orochimaru could feel her fingers dig into his back. He pulled her more tightly against his body. 

“It was his choice, Tsunade. We couldn’t have stopped him.” 

She quietly whimpered. “How will they take it when he….” She couldn’t yet say the words. Even though Sasuke’s death was so near, she couldn’t confront it yet. “How will Naruto and Sakura take it?” 

“You will be there for them.” 

“Orochimaru? I am so glad that you are here. I wouldn’t have known what to do if I were on my own right now.” 

“You would have prevailed. Like you always do.” He gently brushed a few loose strands out of her face and caressed her cheeks. “But I am here, and I will not leave your side. I will take care of you Tsunade.” 

In the midst of the war it seemed like they had found each other. All the hate and anger of the past was forgotten and only this tender moment was counting. Tsunade leaned on her old friend in more than one sense and she felt like he would be able to support the weight that was on her shoulders, because partly, he was feeling the same pain that she was feeling. 

***


	32. Obito - part 2

Kurama and Gyuki prepared their Jinchuriki for this fight, but Kurama knew that nothing could prevent him from being separated from Naruto which would result in his immediate death. He desperately looked around them and tried to find a solution to this problem. Kurama couldn’t simply let Naruto die, he had to do something, something had to come up! 

**_The Yondaime._ ** Minato hadn’t sealed up all of Kurama’s Chakra inside Naruto, when he was sealed inside his Jinchuriki. With wide blown eyes, Kurama tried to remember exactly what had happened that night. Minato had sealed half of Kurama’s Chakra inside himself, before he died. That could save his little one. The Gedo Statue grew and so did Kurama’s unease. Madara was unleashed and he watched with worry as the young Uchiha fought with abandon against his Clansman. How long would Sasuke be able to stand his ground against Madara? Sasuke was losing the higher ground in this fight fast and they haven’t even seen Madara’s whole strength yet.

_Kurama?! What should we do? We need to stop that thing! We need to protect you and the other Bijuu!_

**Naruto. Listen to me. This is important.**

_Kurama?_

**This Gedo Statue will take us… There is no way that we will be able to stop this thing.**

_Kurama! Don’t say something like that! I will protect you!_

**I know you want to protect us, Naruto… But there isn’t much time left and I need to tell you this right now while we still have some time left.**

Naruto felt his body stiffen and he shivered. He sniffed while he listened to Kurama explain. 

_And what if this doesn’t work… I will be…_

Kurama stayed quiet for a moment. He didn’t want to think about the ‘what if’s’, but Naruto was right. What if this plan doesn’t work? It was high risk and they needed back up. Sakura was the only one they could rely upon right now, since Sasuke was in the middle of a risky fight with Madara. 

**It will work. Don’t worry, little one. Nothing bad is going to happen to you. When all of this is over, we are going to be together again, and I will be annoyed by your daily rants about your Hatake-brat and your extremely unhealthy Ramen obsession.**

Naruto felt a little better. A sniffled laugh escaped him and he nodded. “Ok. I trust you Kurama.” He quickly turned around because he felt Gaara’s weak Chakra coming closer to them. “Gaara is coming! Kurama maybe that’s just the back up that we needed…” 

Kurama was glad that the Kaze-Kage was finally on his way, with him, they really might be able to pull this off. He gave Naruto a gentle nudge with his Chakra which made the young shinobi smile. He understood the gentle gesture and together they were anxiously looking at the skies in search of the red haired Kaze Kage. 

*

Finding Naruto and the Bijuu wasn’t that hard to be honest, since the Bijuu were massive and Naruto’s Chakra was like a beacon – shining brightly even in the darkest night. Gaara raced towards his friend and hurried to get closer to him. Naruto stood strong and tall in the middle of the Bijuu like this was where he was always meant to be. Next to him was Sakura, just like Gaara she looked a little shaken and exhausted. Gaara couldn’t blame the woman, they have been through so much and everybody felt the same. Naruto waved at him and he glided down to greet his excited friend. Naruto immediately ran towards Gaara and wrapped his arms around the Kaze Kage. “Gaara! I am so glad to see you! Are you ok? Are you hurt?” 

Gaara smiled. Just being near Naruto and feeling his energy made him feel better. He quickly wrapped his arms around Naruto and let his head drop to Naruto’s shoulders for a moment. “It is good to see you my friend. I am alright, now that I see you are well and alive.” He pulled away and took in the Bijuu around him and the huge Gedo Statue that has completely emerged from the ground. “Naruto, tell me what the situation is. What are we dealing with here?” 

“Kurama just told me that this Gedo Statue will probably take the Bijuu and that we will be helpless to protect them… which means…” he looked at Gaara and waited for understanding to click in his friend’s mind. Not only Gaara but also Sakura protested loudly when they heard this. 

“What?!”  
“No! This would mean…”  
Both of his friends started at the same time with loud objections. Naruto lifted his hands to make them stop. They looked at Naruto’s calm face which was unnerving to both Sakura and Gaara, because they would never let Obito or Madara simply take the Kyuubi from Naruto.

“Naruto… I have to **strongly** object. If the Kyuubi is extracted from you – “ Gaara started again. “… that would mean you would die. I can’t allow that to happen. I will not let you die.” 

Sakura shook her head eagerly. “Naruto, Gaara is right. What’s going on?! Shannaro! We will do everything to protect you! Don’t do anything stupid do you hear me!” She grabbed Naruto’s orange jacket and started to shake her teammate. She tried to be strong, but her lip was quivering. She was afraid for her friend. “Don’t you _DARE_ to do anything stupid! Think about Sensei! What would he do if anything happened to you!” 

Naruto took her into his arms. He gently stroked her back and her sobbing subsided. “Thank you, Sakura-chan. You are right, I have to think about Kakashi.” He grinned happily. “That’s why Kurama and I have a plan if things go worse. Gaara, I am so glad that you are here, because we really need your help in this.” 

Sakura and Gaara listened intently and worriedly while Naruto let Kurama take over his body, so that he could explain his plan to the two shinobi. Kurama made sure that both Sakura and Gaara knew what would happen when he was extracted from Naruto and what they had to do to make sure that his Jinchuriki would survive. Gaara had to make sure to catch his friend as soon as his Bijuu was extracted and get him to Sakura, who paid special attention since it would be her job to make sure that Naruto’s heart wouldn’t stop. She cringed when Kurama told her that an Uzumaki host was especially resilient and that they probably would have a few more minutes until Naruto’s heart would stop, but they still needed to hurry to get him to the Yondaime. They had to transfer the other half of the Kyuubi that was sealed in the Yondaime, into Naruto’s body, which would normalize Naruto’s Chakra flow and he would be able to save his little Jinchuriki. 

Of course it wasn’t lost to Gaara and Sakura that the Kyuubi often fondly referred to Naruto as ‘my little one’ or ‘my little Jinchuriki’, which made them both smile. It seemed that even the great Kyuubi wasn’t immune to Naruto’s charm. 

*

It came just like Kurama had predicted. The Gedo Statue sucked the Bijuu in and after the first four Bijuu were gone, Naruto knew that his chances of keeping Kurama safe were bad. He tried to hold onto Kurama and tried to keep him away from Obito and Madara, but it was useless. He watched as the other Bijuu were sucked in and he screamed in agony when he felt Kurama being taken. 

“No!! Kurama! Don’t leave me!!”

**Naruto, it will be alright. Don’t worry, little one.**

The pain was excruciating when the Bijuu was ripped from his body. His mind and his body were torn to pieces and he thought that he vaguely heard someone calling his name, but Naruto could barely concentrate on anything. His consciousness was slipping away, and his body was going numb, he was slowly sagging down to the dusty ground. His knees hit the ground hard and shortly before his face made contact someone caught him in strong arms. Naruto tried to keep his eyes open to look at the face of his saviour, but his vision was getting blurry. Gaara must have caught him. 

“hnnn…” 

*

Kakashi finally made it back to the battlefield, after his fight with Obito. He wasn’t sure what he would see after his absence, but when his feet touched the ground he stumbled and screamed, when he watched Obito extract the Kyuubi from Naruto. He watched as Naruto’s body fell to the ground. 

“NOO! Naruto!!” _Why did I wait so long? What have I done?! What if it’s too late now? Have I lost him?_ Kakashi jumped over some rocks and ran the last few meters to catch Naruto’s body in his arms before his face hit the hard ground. His arms wrapped around his beloved and he fell to his knees. 

“No, no… !! Naruto! Please, open your eyes! Look at me!” He gently caressed the whiskered cheeks and carefully cradled the precious blond into his arms as the first tears slipped from his eyes. “Naru-to… Please don’t leave me…please.”

The Kyuubi had been the last Bijuu to be sucked into the Gedo Statue which meant that now Obito and Madara had finally reached their goal. Obito watched as his old teammate wept over Naruto’s lifeless form. He held the blond in his arms, just like he held Rin, and cried over his lost lover. Naruto would be dead soon, and Obito would have his revenge. No Jinchuriki could survive the extraction of a Bijuu. He chuckled darkly as he watched Kakashi. His old teammate cried out in pain and was rocking back and forth with the Naruto tightly pressed to his chest. 

He suddenly felt a little sorry for the young shinobi who would probably die very soon. Kakashi was right. Naruto was an innocent victim in this war, but Obito remembered Rin’s beautiful eyes, her soft hands, and her sweet laughter. She had been innocent too. She shouldn’t have died. Obito tried to remember her voice when she called his name. He had loved her so much. His eyes wandered to Kakashi’s hunched form and the way his body was shaking with sobs. This didn’t bring him the satisfaction he thought it might bring him. Madara had always told him that his pain would disappear if he killed the one Kakashi loved the most. He had watched his old teammate for years. He had watched Kakashi stand in front of the memorial stone for hours. He had watched how Kakashi took mission after mission and risked his life for the village. And he had watched his old teammate finally take a Genin team. He saw how Kakashi had changed and he had also witnessed how his feelings towards his blond student changed. Madara told him that this would be Obito’s chance to finally take his revenge. That blond student was the most important person for Kakashi, and it would break him to lose him, but watching Kakashi desperately cradle Naruto in his arms now didn’t bring those freeing feelings that Madara had always spoken about. 

Maybe he had been wrong…?  
Maybe revenge wasn’t what he was after? He felt like a confused child again. Of course he wanted Kakashi to suffer, he still blamed him for Rin’s death and he hated him for not protecting her like he had promised, but he was aware that Kakashi had done everything that he could and that the shinobi had taken her with the sole purpose to attack the village and to kill everyone. He touched his forehead and tried to clear his thoughts.  
He couldn’t listen to Kakashi’s pained sobbing anymore. They finally had all the Bijuu and there was no turning back now. Their goal was so close, he could almost grasp it.

Kakashi turned around and their eyes met. Seeing the Sharingan that he had given Kakashi spin into the Mangekyo pattern. “Now you understand my pain, Kakashi.” Obito whispered. _You can be with him again too in this world that I will create._

*

Kakashi thought that he wasn’t able to cry anymore but holding Naruto’s lifeless body in his arms tore his heart apart. He had been too late. He wasn’t able to protect Naruto. He hadn't been able to keep his promise and now he had lost everything. All that was good in his life was slowly slipping through his fingers. His vision was getting blurry and he buried his face in the blond hair. He tried to take in Naruto's sweet scent so he would never forget it. No Jinchuriki had ever survived the extraction process. Tears were running down his cheeks and his mask was getting damp. How could this have happened? He should have been here. The pressure on his chest was making it hard to breath and he pressed Naruto’s body against him. 

“My love….” His masked lips whispered brokenly against Naruto’s cheek. He turned around and looked at the man who had taken Naruto from him. His heart was pounding painfully in his chest, and his mind was occupied with only one wish. “I will make you pay…” His Mangekyo Sharingan was spinning and the tears were burning on his skin as Obito looked directly into his eyes. 

Suddenly he felt Sakura’s Chakra race towards him. He turned around to quickly make sure what was going on. The sudden arrival of his friends stopped him for a moment from his wish to kill his old teammate. 

Sakura and Gaara were by his side in an instant and Sakura didn’t waste any time to execute Kurama’s plan. She was sure that her Sensei would be so worried about Naruto and with a high possibility, Kakashi thought that Naruto might be dead. “Kakashi-Sensei! I am so glad to see you here, please let me take a look at Naruto, we have no time to lose!” She took the blond from Kakashi’s iron grip and started healing her teammate as best as she could. While her healing Chakra was flowing over Naruto’s body, Gaara and Sakura made sure to fill Kakashi in on Kurama’s plan. 

“Sakura hold on! Are you sure that we can save Naruto?” The Jonin was overwhelmed with hope after Sakura told him everything that had happened. 

“It’s what the Kyuubi said.” She quickly explained, while Gaara made sure that the blonde was savely put on one of his sand clouds. 

“We need to hurry and find the Yondaime. Kakashi-san, are you coming?” 

“Yes, of course I’ll be coming.”

“We should leave. Right now. It seems that our enemy is busy with the Gedo Statue… This could be our only chance to get Naruto out of here.” The little group jumped on Gaara’s sand clouds and took off. They took their chance while Obito was busy getting the Gedo Statue under control after the Bijuu were sucked in. Sakura shared her sand cloud with Naruto, because she took care of her teammate and made sure that his heart wouldn’t stop, while Kakashi was flying with the Kaze Kage. He watched with anxiety as Sakura was working on Naruto’s body. The Kaze Kage squeezed his shoulder in a friendly manner. 

“He will live. I know he will live.” Gaara was also trying to calm his own nerves. 

Kakashi looked at the dark eyes and prayed that the young Kage was right. 

**

It felt like an eternity until they finally found the Yondaime. Nostalgia hit Kakashi straight in the face when he looked at Minato-Senseis young face. Gaara made them land in some distance away from the fighting. 

“I will get the Yondaime.” Gaara said with a strained face. It would be difficult to get to the Kage since he was in the middle of the battlefield, trying to help some shinobi fight the white Zestus. “Sakura, please stay with Naruto and take care of him. Kakashi-san you will have to protect them, because if Sakura stops…” He didn’t want to continue that sentence and it seemed it wasn’t necessary because everybody understood what was at stake. Kakashi nodded tensely. “Just hurry, please.” Gaara quickly moved away. Gaara reached the Yondaime who was busy fighting some of Madara’s underlings.

“Yondaime! You are needed! Please follow me. It is most urgent. Naruto is in danger!” Gaara yelled over the sounds of battle. 

Minato immediately listened up when his son's name was mentioned. “Naruto?! What happened? Where is he?” He was already moving closer to Gaara. 

Gaara took the Yondaime Hokage back to Sakura, Kakashi and Naruto. Minato immediately kneeled down next to his son and worriedly touched the pale face. “Naruto… what happened to him?!” He choked out as he watched the pink-haired Kunoichi, whom he had met just a few hours ago. She was the one who was joking around with Naruto about his son’s boyfriend. 

“The Kyuubi was extracted from him.” She answered him a little breathless. Using so much healing Jutsu to keep Naruto alive must take a toll on her. 

“Sensei…” Kakashi’s soft voice reached his ears and he looked at the masked face of his student. He was taller now, but his hair was still as wild as he remembered. He was wearing his Jonin Uniform and had definitely grown into it. Kakashi’s Sharingan was uncovered and Minato was able to see that the pattern had changed. A Mangekyo Sharingan was something that only the best Uchiha were able to achieve. He was impressed with Kakashi’s abilities. Minato tried to take in the man that his little student had become. “Kakashi. You’ve grown so much.” He fondly remarked. 

Kakashi bowed his head in gratitude and respect to his Sensei. “Thank you, Sensei.” 

“What are we going to do about Naruto? Do we have a plan?” Minato looked around the little group that had gathered around his son. They all looked tired, hurt and worried and Minato felt glad that so many people seemed to care deeply for his son. 

“Yes, we have a plan, Yondaime-sama. The Kyuubi shared with us the information that only half of his Chakra was sealed in Naruto and the other half was sealed inside you, which means that only half of the Kyuubi was taken by the Gedo Statue and the other half is still here… with you. And we could take the half that is inside you and transfer it to Naruto.” 

Minato listened to Gaara's explanations and nodded eagerly. “And the Kyuubi is sure that this would save Naruto?” 

**It could work.** The Kyuubi that was sealed inside Minato said. He had listened to everything that was going on outside and was convinced that his other half probably had a plan and that he should trust him. 

“The Kyuubi said that it could work… So let’s try it.” Minato murmured and got ready to unseal the Kyuubi and transfer him to Naruto. “My precious son.” He gently caressed Naruto’s cheek. “I will do anything to save you.” He kneeled in front of Naruto and let his hands swiftly and effortlessly move through the hand signs. “Unseal!” He yelled and pressed his right hand to his stomach. The sealing broke and the Chakra around Minato was running wild, but Minato was quickly moving through the next set of hand signs. He concentrated on putting the wild Chakra of the Kyuubi inside Naruto. “Seal!” He yelled and pressed his hands on Naruto’s body. 

Everybody was pushed away by a huge wave of Chakra when the sealing was finished. Gaara caught Sakura in his arms and put up a sand shield in front of them. Sakura tightly held onto the Kaze Kage and squeezed her eyes shut as the wave of enormous Chakra pushed them into the ground. Gaara put his body in front of Sakura’s and tried to keep her safe. Minato was also pushed on his back, but when he tried to get up, he heard the sweet noise of Naruto’s groggy groan. “Ooohhh…” 

Minato wanted to take his son into his arms, but it seemed that someone was quicker. With wide and confused eyes, he watched as his silver-haired student fell to his knees and tenderly took his son into his arms. Kakashi caressed the blond hair and Naruto’s cheeks. “Naruto, can you hear me? Please look at me.” Minato could hear the longing in Kakashi's voice.

“Kaka-…shi.” His voice was rough when he whispered Kakashi’s name. He slowly tried to open his eyes and looked into Kakashi’s mismatched eyes. Kakashi’s familiar scent surrounded him and he was floating on happiness. Naruto managed a groggy smile when he felt Kakashi’s tender touch on his cheeks. “Hmm...Kashi.” he leaned more heavily into Kakashi’s touch and groaned when he felt Kurama’s familiar Chakra settle into his body. He was just glad that Kurama’s plan had worked, but he still needed to get Kurama’s other half and the other Bijuu out from that damn Statue. 

The pink-haired girl was sobbing next to the Kaze Kage, who gently patted her back. “Calm down Sakura-san. He’s going to be fine now.” 

“Yes, Gaara… I am just so glad that we made it… Because I don’t know what Kakashi-Sensei would have done if we lost Naruto… I was so scared.” She brushed away some tears that were running down her red cheeks. Gaara’s arm was lightly wrapped around her shaking shoulders.

Minato listened to the girl, Sakura, and looked back at his student and his son, who had finally opened his eyes. There was a gentle smile dancing over Naruto’s lips when his eyes finally focused on the man in front of him. “Kakashi.” His hand reached for the masked face. “I am sorry, I made you worry again.” Naruto was touching Kakashi so tenderly. It was a mystery to Minato. Kakashi hated it when other people touched him, what was going on, what was he looking at? 

“I am just glad that you are alright.” Kakashi pulled him closer and they sank into a tight embrace. He realized that Kakashi was whispering something into Naruto’s ear because his son’s cheeks were blushing, his lips were quivering and his eyes were tearing up. Naruto’s arms wrapped around Kakashi’s shoulders and he slowly pulled himself into a sitting position. His head sank down against Kakashi’s chest and finally Minato understood. 

_The boyfriend. The one Naruto’s in love with. Someone I know very well. – Kakashi._

The way Naruto looked at Kakashi told him everything he needed to know. He wasn’t sure how to feel about this. Kakashi had been his student and he was 13 by the time Minato died… which would mean that Kakashi should be 31 now. He frowned but couldn’t quite find it in his heart to be mad or angry at neither Kakashi nor at Naruto. He would feel like a hypocrite suddenly turning up and giving his 18-year-old son a lecture on who he could be with or not. When he looked at them all he could see was love and devotion, but he would definitely give a lecture to his student about this… 

*

“I thought that I might have lost you Naruto,... my love.” Kakashi’s voice was so close to his ear. Kakashi’s deep smooth voice was vibrating throughout his whole body and his heartbeat was getting quicker. His lip was trembling and he could feel his eyes tearing up a little bit. He wrapped his arms tightly around Kakashi’s body and for a moment he looked into Kakashi’s mismatched eyes. They were swimming with emotions and endless relief - because it wasn’t over yet. They still had a future together. All he wanted to do was rip that mask off his handsome face and kiss him, but when they heard a quiet cough, their bodies went rigged. 

Naruto was still in his arms and Kakashi had just realized that he had completely forgotten about Minato-Sensei. He was so glad that Naruto was saved that he just wanted to take his beloved into his arms and hold him. Kakashi’s heart felt light and his mind was at ease when Naruto finally opened his beautiful blue eyes to look at him. When his lips moved to speak his name, he couldn’t keep away and took Naruto in his arms. He would never let him out of his sight again. 

Minato-Sensei’s cough took him back into reality and his body wasn’t the only one that went stiff. He felt Naruto starting to shiver. Of course, he was nervous about his father’s reaction. He looked down at Naruto’s face and he helped the blond sit up straight. 

Naruto still felt a little shaken from the whole extraction and new sealing procedure, but it felt good having Kakashi close. He reached for Kakashi’s hand and squeezed it. It was clear to him that the other man was nervous to face his old Sensei. Naruto was nervous about talking to his dad as well, but when would he ever get this opportunity again? “Together?” He whispered. Their eyes met. Kakashi saw Naruto’s stubbornness and it gave him the courage to turn around and face Minato. 

“Sensei.” He said and was surprised that his voice didn’t even shake. He kneeled in front of the Yondaime and bowed in respect. “I am sure that you have all kinds of feelings right now. I know that your son deserves so much better than me…” Before Naruto could say anything, Kakashi was already speaking again. “I can only hope to become the man who deserves your son’s love, because he is the most precious, wonderful, brave and kind man. He saved me so many times that I’ve lost count and I love him more than anything and I wish to be with him - always… if that is also …his wish.” 

Minato watched as tears welled up in Naruto’s eyes. “Kakashi. Of course I do!” Naruto whispered and clenched his hands in front of his chest. Minato could see that he could barely stand the small distance between them, after what Kakashi just said. 

“Kakashi. I remember when you were my student. You were always so angry at everyone and everything, you were so reserved and cold,… seeing you now, how much you have grown and how much you have changed makes me happy and proud. And Naruto – my son – before your mother and I died, we prayed that you would grow up and find many friends and that you would become a good and kind man. It seems like our wish was fulfilled. Your mother also had another wish. She was hoping and praying for you to find love. I have never loved anyone but your mother. Kushina was the love of my life. I can see the way you look at Kakashi. It is the same way that I looked at your mother. Love is something very precious and rare. Kakashi, please look at me.” Minato watched as his student slowly straightened up and looked into the eyes of his Sensei. “You are right, I have mixed feelings about finding out who this mysterious boyfriend was, that my son and his friend were talking about before.” Minato quickly looked between Naruto and Sakura. Naruto blushed and Sakura giggled. “To be honest with both of you, I would feel like a hypocrite, if I start telling you both now, what to do with your lives.” Minato smiled at them. “I feel so blessed. Even if this Jutsu is cursed and forbidden, it brought us all together. I was allowed to see you, Naruto and you allowed me into your life and share this with me.” 

Naruto sobbed and quickly made his way over to his father. “Daaad...” He hiccuped and wrapped his arms around Minato who gently brushed his hands through the thick blond hair. “Does that mean that you approve of our relationship?” Naruto somehow got out between his happy sobs. 

Minato chuckled. “Well, I guess he was always a part of our family anyway, so having you as son in law would make me really happy, Kakashi.”

“So- son in what now? DAD we are not getting married!” _Yet._ He thought. 

“Oh? I thought this was a proposal. Did I misunderstand something?” Minato giggled when Naruto quickly pulled away. This was fun. It looked like Kakashi was ready to pass out any second. His face was practically glowing red, and Minato wasn’t sure if it was because he was so relieved to have survived ‘ _the talk_ ’ with the father of his boyfriend or because he was actually thinking about getting married. “Aha!” Minato happily yelled. Who would have thought that his precious son would decide on his angry, anti-social student as a boyfriend? Kakashi must have changed a lot over the years. He felt so happy that he was allowed to have this special moment with his son and his student. When Kushina was pregnant with their baby he had dreamed about the day when his child was old enough to bring home a girl- or boyfriend. Minato had sometimes laid awake at night and thought about how a ‘cool dad’ would behave in front of his child. But, maybe being embarrassing would be acceptable for now. He giggled. “Weeeeell, then I have to rethink my approval. I was thinking that Kakashi would make an honest and honorable man out of my son. But if this is just for fun and se-“ 

“NOO! Please Sensei! I -“  
“DAD! STOP!” 

Minato started laughing hard. “I am just making fun of you two. I do approve of your relationship, even if you don’t need anyone’s approval to be with the one you truly love Naruto.” He watched as his son and Kakashi sighed in relief. “Who would have thought something like this would happen. Ne, Kakashi? That you and my son start dating? Haha. There is so much that I have to tell Kushina when I am with her again.” 

Naruto hugged his dad again. “Will you tell Mom about me?” 

“Of course, Naruto. I will tell her everything. I am sure that your mother will want a detailed description of every hair on your head. I will make sure to take a very good look so I can give Kushina a detailed report.” He pulled his son tightly into his arms and brushed through the blond hair. Naruto’s face looked so much like Kushina and he could almost hear her melody in his voice. 

Naruto pressed his face against his fathers chest. He wanted to feel him for as long as he could, because he knew that this Jutsu would end soon and then his father would be gone. He would be reunited with his mother. Hot tears were running down his cheeks as he felt warm big hands brushing through his hair. His eyes closed for a short moment and he imagined how it would have been like, if Minato hadn’t been killed. 

*

Sakura watched the emotional moment between Kakashi, Naruto and the Yondaime. She let silent tears roll down her cheeks, while she watched Naruto hug his father. She had never truly thought about the deep loneliness that Naruto must have felt when he was growing up, but seeing the tears in her friends eyes while his father hugged him or when the Yondaime was gently brushing his hands through his hair, was sending goosebumps down Sakura’s spine. Having her parents around all the time made her unaware of how lonely her fried must have been. She was so happy that Naruto wouldn't be lonely from now on because he was living with Kakashi-Sensei. Sakura was glad that Gaara gave her some emotional support. His presents and his warm hand on her shoulder calmed her a little. 

*

“I wish we had more time to talk and to reunite, but there is still a war going on.” Minato reminded everyone. Before Kakashi got up Sakura moved closer to her Sensei and quickly took a look at him. 

“Sensei, you look horrible. What have you done?” She put her hands on his shoulders and let her gentle healing Chakra flow through his body. 

He groaned in pain and relief. “Thank you, Sakura-chan. I was fighting Obito…Sensei, Obito is with Madara. He joined him. I tried everything I could to turn him back, but his heart is filled with hate.” 

Gaara tried to stay quiet until now. Since he had just arrived in the midst of the battle he wanted to get a good overview of what was actually going on. He was also a little surprised over the turn of events that Naruto was in a relationship with Hatake Kakashi. It seemed that Kakashi-san was sincere in his feelings and Gaara hoped that his friend would find happiness in this relationship. The Yondaime was right though, the war was still going on and they needed to move. “Yondaime-sama, Obito was also the one who extracted the Kyuubi from Naruto. What should we do?” 

Minato couldn’t believe it. Obito? His little student who was always late for practice because he helped old ladies with their shopping? Obito, who had been head over heels in love with Rin? “That can’t be true… Kakashi?” With a desperate gaze he looked back at Kakashi.

“I am sorry Sensei. It seems that Obito was the man in the mask all this time…” 

“No… No. That would mean that night when Naruto was born and when we were attacked… that night when that masked man took the Kyuubi from Kushina…” Minato buried his face in his hands. His face was full of shock and pain. His little student. Obito had killed Kushina. He attacked the village and he had almost killed his son – twice. 

Naruto watched his dad and Kakashi closely. Their faces showed the same pain as realization and anguish came over them again. It was Obito all along. The man in the mask who had attacked the village and took the Kyuubi from Kushina, it was Obito who started the Akatsuki and it was Obito who manipulated Sasuke as well. They all shared the same grief and the same pain – and sadly they all shared the same enemy. Naruto watched his dad, who tried to get over the pain that his student had fallen into the hands of Uchiha Madara and decided not to follow his teachings or the teachings of Konoha. 

“Dad, I know that you must be sad and angry right now… I talked to Ero-Sennin a lot when he taught me the Rasengan, he is awesome by the way, he was your teacher too right? He told me that he had another student that he had high expectations in, but sadly that student went another way and didn’t follow his teachings at all… he turned very bad actually. But Ero-Sennin was never sad about it when we were together, he was always kind and funny, and he taught me so many things that I will never forget and that I will always cherish. I will always live my ninja-way the way that Kakashi and Ero-Sennin have taught me, you understand what I wanna say?”

“It seems like my old Sensei and Kakashi were good teachers and left quite the impression. I am proud of you _Kakashi_ \- _Sensei_.” Minato laughed at his son’s kind words and Kakashi’s embarrassed reaction. “Thank you, Naruto.” 

Minato understood what Naruto wanted to tell him. He may have lost Obito, but his teachings would live on, in Kakashi, his students and in Konoha. Kakashi had continued in Minato’s footsteps and had given all his knowledge to his students, Naruto and Sakura, who were right here by his side, fighting for a better world. 

***


	33. The final battle - part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is for my dear friend Gleeker1995 <3  
> I hope you have fun with this chapter, because our talks have inspired me LOL! you'll know what I mean hehe.
> 
> Thank you everyone for your feedback and the lovely comments. I love you all so much <3

Now that they had re-grouped, they had more options. Naruto and Kakashi would take on Obito. It was mainly Naruto’s wish to go with Kakashi, because he had seen what impact it had on Kakashi when he met his old teammate. “Gaara, you should go with Sakura and my Dad, maybe you can find and help Sasuke.” 

“Sasuke?! He is here?” Kakashi immediately grew worried. “What does he want? Is he on our side – theirs?” He had to know what they were up against. One Uchiha was bad enough but three possible Uchiha threats were getting too much for Kakashi. 

“I think that he is on our side. We were talking and then we split up.” Naruto stuttered. “He wanted to take on Madara. Sakura-chan and I wanted to take on Obito, but… that didn’t work out so well, but I can’t feel Sasuke’s Chakra anywhere. I don’t know where he is. Maybe something happened to him?” He looked at Kakashi for answers that he knew the other man wouldn’t have. Sasuke always made him feel so helpless and insecure. What happened to him? Naruto and Sakura looked at each other with worried expressions. The way they had talked and held each other – it almost felt like they could be a team again. Naruto was frustrated and worried that something might have happened to his gloomy Uchiha teammate. 

Kakashi took in all that information and tried to understand Naruto’s anxiety, but he felt overwhelmed with everything that was going on around him at the moment. Now that Sasuke was back as well, he felt like that was one Uchiha too much on the battlefield. Madara, Obito and Sasuke… They had to work through that methodically. Each one of them could bring something unpredictable into the fight. “Let’s focus on one thing after the other. We need to concentrate on Obito first. After that we can go and find Sasuke. Alright?” 

Minato would join the Kaze Kage and the young medic nin. After the discouraging talk with the Sandaime, that the first Hokage and his brother Tobirama went missing, he had feared the worst. They had decided that it would be best if they split up. The Sandaime had decided to stay with the troops and to keep the shinobi on the ground safe. Minato had always been more of a frontline fighter.    
“Kakashi, Naruto, you two will have to concentrate on the fight against Obito and join us as soon as possible. Taking down Madara will be the hardest battle. We will try to find Sasuke-kun and hopefully we will be able to kill Madara once and for all. We  **must** finish this. Kakashi, I know that this will be hard on you, but this is important. You need to be strong right now.” 

“Don’t worry dad, I will be with Kakashi.” Naruto grinned.

Minato chuckled at Kakashi’s embarrassed face. “That is good to know. I am sure that you will have each other’s backs.” 

“Mah, Naruto, shouldn’t I be the one saying stuff like that?” Kakashi protested, embarrassed about what Minato-Sensei might think of him. 

“What? What did I say? As I recall, I had to save you from that guy before when he wanted to kill you! Ah! And before I forget it, we will  **talk** about that when we get home, you are in so much trouble!” Naruto huffed and pushed his hands into his hips. 

“I am sorry.” Kakashi grumbled. He had to admit that the pout looked very cute on Naruto. War or not, Kakashi’s mind was wandering to all the things that he would like to do with that mouth once this war was over and they were back home. He was unbelievably happy to see Naruto being so lively and loud again. Just a few moments ago he thought that he would never see those beautiful blue eyes look at him again and to hear Naruto talk about ‘ _ their home’ _ made Kakashi’s heart jump. He was looking forward to a quieter time in their lives, when he could take his lover on romantic dates, and maybe stay at home on the weekend…  _ making love _ . He was getting ahead of himself, but he couldn’t deny, when they kissed in that forest and Kakashi’s hands moved over Naruto’s lean body, that  **nothing** in his life had ever felt so good before. Maybe when the war was finally over, they could focus on their relationship in a less stressful environment. 

Naruto glared at him. “You are in  **so** much trouble right now. Dattebayo!” The young shinobi blushed as if he could read Kakashi’s mind. 

“I hear you, love.” Kakashi felt amused and scratched his cheek. Maybe Naruto knew him a little too well. 

* 

They stood together for a few more moments and debated about the best way of action and how they could separate their enemies. Naruto and Kakashi would go in first and they would try to gain Obito’s attention, which shouldn’t be too hard, considering that Obito thought that they had killed Naruto. Seeing the blond alive now, will be a shock for sure.   
“We have to get him away from the Gedo Statue.” Naruto eagerly explained. “Once we have him, you will have to take him down Kakashi. I will destroy the Gedo-thingy and get all the other Bijuu out! Dattebayo!” Naruto was getting excited and he was gesticulating wildly. After they had gained Obito’s attention and engaged in a fight, Minato, Gaara and Sakura would go in and would try to find Sasuke and keep Madara engaged for as long as possible. They had to do everything in their power to keep them separated. 

Minato’s eyes wandered over the little group that was huddled around him. “Does everyone know what they have to do?” Everyone knew their positions and nodded. Minato took Naruto into his arms one last time and told him to be careful. Naruto tightly held onto his father and smiled when he brushed through his hair. “I promise Dad.” 

“And keep an eye on Kakashi.” 

“I will Dad.” 

Naruto chuckled and quickly went to Sakura and Gaara to tell them the same. Minato watched his son hug his friends with much enthusiasm. While the friends said their goodbyes, Minato looked at Kakashi with an amused expression on his face. He pushed his hands into his hips and shifted from one foot to the other. “I am glad that you have found each other, Kakashi. I always hoped that my son would find love with someone who truly cares for him. I can see that in the way you look at him. But… I have to say…Kakashi, he’s got you wrapped around his finger, doesn’t he?” 

Kakashi’s face was glowing with embarrassment. Naruto suddenly appeared by his side. “What are you two talking about? Are you ok, Kakashi? We should go, come on!” Naruto pulled on Kakashi’s hand as he started to walk away from the rest of the group. Kakashi followed him obediently. He turned his head back to Minato. “ – around his little finger.” 

Minato giggled and shook his head as he watched his student and his son walk away. Naruto held Kakashi’s hand in his own and his lazy student was stumbling after him. Minato felt a lightness in his chest as he looked up into the skies and felt a cool breeze ruffle his hair.   
_Kushina, my love. There’s so much I have to tell you when I’m with you again. Naruto’s in a relationship with Kakashi._ _You would like that, wouldn’t you? You were always fussing over Kakashi when he was a child. Naruto reminds me so much of you when he orders Kakashi around._ Minato giggled. _That’s good for Kakashi though, he needs someone who takes care of him and tells him not to be so lazy and gloomy._ _  
_ His eyes focused on the couple in the distance. Naruto still had a tight grip on Kakashi’s hand. Minato smiled. _Don’t let go of that feeling_. 

Minato blushed a little when he watched his student lean down to pull his mask just over his lips. Naruto leaned up and pressed his lips against Kakashis. Watching his son and his student kiss felt a little weird after all. Even though he was happy for them he felt a little bewildered. He was suddenly thrown into the harsh reality that he died when Naruto was just a baby and that his son was a grown-up man now. Minato didn’t know what was going in Naruto’s life until now and watching his son kiss Kakashi was making it even more real, just how absent he had been. He hadn't been there when Naruto had taken his first steps, he hadn’t been there when Naruto had finished the academy, his first kiss, his first date,… so many first times that he hadn’t been allowed to witness. Minato clenched his fists as he watched Kakashi pull away from Naruto’s lips. The tender moment ended, and Minato was acutely aware that soon he would be ripped away from his beloved son again. 

_ At least I know that he has Kakashi by his side.  _

*

Naruto held Kakashi’s hand in his and he wasn’t going to let it go. They were going in first, just like they had planned. “I know that you have a history with Obito, and I want to know everything about it when we get home, but right now I want you to promise me that you won’t leave my side. We will do this together. Because if that guy gets into your head again and something happens to you… I can’t live without you, Kakashi.”

Kakashi leaned down and pulled his mask just over his lips. With his fingers he gently lifted Naruto’s chin up so he would have to look into his eyes. Naruto’s eyes glazed over, and his lips fell open just a tiny little bit when he looked into Kakashi’s pale face. The scar that went through his Sharingan went down his handsome cheek and Naruto had to smile a little when he saw the beautiful mole under Kakashi’s bottom lip. “Kakashi.” He whispered. 

“I thought that I had to pay for my sins… But I am so selfish, because all I want, is to live and be with you.” Kakashi leaned down and their lips were almost touching. They were breathing the same air and Kakashi could already feel Naruto’s soft lips brushing against his. “I just want to love you, Naruto.” 

Naruto closed his eyes when Kakashi’s lips finally touched his again. He moaned softly and squeezed Kakashi’s hand that was still tightly holding onto his own. Their lips were gently moving against the others and just for this short moment the world was not sinking into war and chaos, but it was perfect, it was silent and there was no hate. There was just this kiss. This moment and his all consuming love for Kakashi.    
Kakashi slowly pulled away from Naruto’s lips and the blond watched his lover as he quickly pulled his mask back up. “I love you, Kakashi. We will get through this, after all you promised to go on that date with me, ‘tebayo.” 

Kakashi’s smile was hidden behind his mask. Indeed, that date was something he was looking forward to as well. “No Ichiraku though.” 

“What?! Why?” They left the periphery of the warzone and quickly made their way up to where Obito was trying to control the Gedo Statue that was now holding the Bijuu captive.

*

Naruto was getting worried because when they got closer to their enemy, he could clearly see that Obito wasn’t alone anymore. Madara was standing next to him. Didn’t Sasuke say that he wanted to take care of Madara?! But now he couldn’t see Sasuke anywhere! What was going on?! He could feel himself starting to panic. 

Kakashi could feel the sudden change in Naruto. “What is going on? Are you alright?” 

“No. I am not. Sasuke is not here, but Madara is! Something must have happened.” 

Kakashi quickly looked up to analyze what Naruto just said. It was true! Madara stood right next to his old teammate and they were lucky because neither of them seemed to have noticed them, yet. Kakashi pulled Naruto down, to hide behind a massive rock formation. “They haven’t spotted us yet. Are you sure that Sasuke is fighting with us?” 

“Yes. I mean, we only had a short moment to talk, but we hugged and I think that he came to help us.” He was rambling.

“Alright. I trust you on this. Then something must have happened to Sasuke, but you must stay focused, Naruto! If we are going into this fight and you don’t pay attention it could be really dangerous. You know how to fight against the Sharingan… Alright? Keep your eyes down.” 

Naruto swallowed heavily and they shared a deep meaningful look. Naruto reached for Kakashi’s hand and nodded. “Yes. I understand.” Of course he knew how to fight against a Sharingan. He trained with Kakashi for years. He fought against Sasuke numerous times and he had fought against Itachi, which had been scary as hell. He would never forget that. He knew not to underestimate the Sharingan. 

They shared a tender and loving look that was heavy with emotion. Many unspoken things were hanging between them and Naruto wished that they had more time to talk, to touch, to just love each other, but he knew that once this was over, he might really tie Kakashi down in their apartment. There was this one scene in Icha Icha… His thoughts started to drift away.   
_ Naah, I have to concentrate.  _

“Ok, we are going in. Naruto, are you paying attention?” The Jonin grumbled and got ready for their first attack. He reached for a Kunai and stepped forward.

“Yes, of course. I was just thinking about this scene in  _ Icha Icha Paradise _ .” Naruto said casually and stepped closer to Kakashi to get ready for their attack too. 

Kakashi gaped at him and lowered the Kunai. He looked at Naruto with wide eyes. He pointed over to the rocks where Minato and the others were hiding. “Should I go back to Minato-Sensei and ask about marriage now?” 

“BAKA! Nobody is getting married!” Naruto blushed and punched Kakashi on his shoulder. They slowly moved from behind the bolder towards their enemies. Kakashi took his Kunai and held it tightly in his hand. They were getting in fighting stances. Naruto concentrated his Sage Chakra and effortlessly slipped into Sennin Mode.

“Maaaa, why? Are you sure? You are reading Icha Icha, my love! That’s like a proposal.” He whined. 

“Bakakashi! That doesn’t mean that we are getting married! I was just thinking about how I could tie you up at home, when we get back.” 

“That’s so kinky, Mariko-chan. I would definitely let you tie me up.” Kakashi realized that he was getting a little too excited about their flirting. He should pay more attention to their impending fight. 

Naruto’s face was glowing red. “I was just… I was  _ talking _ about making sure that you are not running AWAY from me AGAIN! I was not…” He swallowed when he tried to remember all the details of that scene in Icha Icha Paradise when Mariko-san tied up her lover on the bed. It was  _ intense _ . Why did Ero-Sennin make him read those damn books?! “… I was not thinking about  _ that _ .” Naruto stuttered. 

“ _ Of course not _ , but if you want to  _ do _ Icha Icha Paradise with me, just tell me my cute little Mariko-chan.” A dark chuckle escaped him, which made Naruto blush even more. 

“Shouldn’t we concentrate on the fight? You pervert?” They were breaking into a run and Kakashi could see that Obito had spotted them. They ran side by side and their bickering was both amusing and arousing. Naruto enjoyed their little squabbling immensely. 

“I can’t help it. You started talking about wanting to tie me up on a bed.” Kakashi shrugged and lazily blocked Obito’s first Katon Jutsu with his  _ Doton _ Doryūheki. 

“I never said  _ anything _ about a bed!!” Naruto summoned two clones who blocked several close ranged attacks, which gave the couple a moment to concentrate their Chakra and to get ready for their next counter attack on Obito.

“Are you sure my little honeybunch? Mah, maybe I’m getting confused because you are so lovely and I just want to do all those things to your cute little a–“ 

“What’s with the nicknames?! Kakashi! The fight?!” 

“Fighting? I am not sure I am comfortable fighting with you in bed, Naruto, but if you want…” 

“BAKA!! NOT IN BED!  **NOW** !” The blond started yelling. His face was glowing red like a tomato when he listened to Kakashi’s Icha Icha talk. He couldn’t believe that they always had such flirt-fighting talks shortly before a serious fight started! And he could not believe that he was actually getting aroused by it in such a situation! 

“That is so lewd, Naruto. I think I might not need Icha Icha anymore. If you want me right now, –“

Obito came crashing against them with a fury that surprised even Kakashi. Their Kunai’s clashed. Metal against Metal. Naruto tried to attack him from above while Kakashi tried to gain enough distance to concentrate enough Chakra to form a Raikiri. He watched Naruto crash his Rasengan into his old teammate and he used that moment to charge forward to attack him with his lightning Jutsu. “Raikiri!”    
The Jutsu grazed Obito’s arm and he quickly moved back to gain some distance. Naruto jumped away as well to follow Kakashi. 

“Are we going to talk about the fact that you read Icha Icha?” A brilliant laugh escaped Naruto’s lips when he heard Kakashi’s question. They were out of breath and tried to focus on their enemy, who was also fighting with his energy. It seemed like Obito was a bit tired out from his last fight with Kakashi and he wasn’t able to keep up with Naruto and Kakashi who were able to hold the higher ground in this fight. 

“Maybe! Come on, Yonoske-san.” The blond imitated a blushing, moaning Mariko-san and winked at the baffled Jonin. 

“Wha- Naruto- But that’s … Icha Icha Tactics!” Kakashi called after Naruto who ran towards their enemy again. He quickly tried to catch up with his beautiful Icha Icha reading lover. His thoughts were running wild. Maybe he needed to talk to Minato-Sensei after all?

*

Obito was still weak from their last fight. Even though Madara had healed him it hadn’t healed his entire body. His Chakra was still low, and he wasn’t able to transport his entire, or parts of his body into the other dimension. He could feel the drain on his Chakra now even more, and he was not only fighting against Kakashi but also against this pest of a Jinchuriki, who should be dead! Why wasn’t this brat dead!? He couldn’t understand what was going on here. He had watched how the Kyuubi had been extracted from his body. No Jinchuriki had ever survived this process. He should be dead!

He may have been able to avert the Rasengan but Kakashi’s attack grazed his arm and he could smell the burning flesh. Maybe his Clansman would come to help him? He looked at Madara who stood frozen on the same spot, on top of the Statue. Madara’s disapproving, hateful look told him all that he needed to know. He wouldn’t come to aid him in this moment of need. Obito should have known from the beginning. He was alone. Maybe he had always been alone..

Obito looked back at Kakashi who came racing towards him. “Naruto!” Obito grunted. This damn brat. The Jinchuriki was all that Kakashi cared about. Naruto jumped at him and tried to attack him again with his Rasengan, but this time Obito was faster and he quickly moved away. The power of the Rasengan was immense and Obito could feel the waves of the Chakra push him to the ground. The power and the Chakra the Jinchuriki had were absolutely ridiculous. Maybe that would have been his end if he hadn’t been quick enough. He stumbled a few steps and from his periphery view he could see Kakashi moving in on him as well. He had to act quickly now, so he turned around and before the blond could move away from him to join his lover again, Obito’s hand had reached him. 

“ _ YOU _ ! You should have stayed dead!” He screamed at the young shinobi whose eyes were filled with fear. “I will make sure that you will never open your eyes again!” He lifted his hand and concentrated Chakra in his hand.  _ I may not be able to use the Chidori, but I can still make Kakashi watch when I rip the heart out of this filthy creature’s chest.  _

“No! Please stop!” Naruto pushed against his arms and tried to get away from Obito. “Why? You were his friend! His teammate!” His movements were getting more desperate as he started to struggle against Obito’s tight grip. 

Obito stared into Naruto’s blue eyes that were looking at him so openly. They looked like Minato-Senseis. He started to tremble as he saw Kushina-san in his features. He suddenly saw their dead bodies in front of his eyes. He could hear the little baby screaming in pain, because the Kyuubi’s Chakra was too much to bear for the small infant body. He stumbled away from Naruto and held his head. “I just… I hated him so much and I cannot forgive him.” The words were tumbling out of his mouth. His lips were trembling. He could hear Kakashi’s movements in the distance and the way he yelled Naruto’s name. He lowered his hand. He felt weak and tired. He never wanted any of this. He just wanted to be with Rin. 

“Are you sure about that? Do you really  _ hate _ Kakashi? Don’t you think that he has suffered enough?” Naruto could feel Obito’s grip loosening and he quickly stepped away from the other man. 

Kakashi’s Chakra was running wild when he finally reached Naruto. The Jonin pulled Naruto away from Obito’s reach and pulled him closer. Protectively he stepped between Naruto and the Uchiha. There was something feral in the mismatched eyes when he stared into Obito’s Mangekyo Sharingan.    
“If I see you touching him again….” He growled at Obito. “I may have lost my way once, but I will never waver again. I will never let anyone hurt him again.” 

Obito closed his tired eyes for a second. He could see the devotion they felt for each other and it was clear that Kakashi would never stop fighting him if it meant that he would protect his beloved. Obito would have done the same for Rin. He opened his eyes again to look at the couple. “I know.” He answered. 

Naruto saw the insecurity in Obito’s eyes, and he thought that this might be their only chance. Obito and Madara were separated. Madara was trying to get the Statue under his control to do god knows what and if he acted quickly, they may have a chance to solve this conflict with Obito. He stepped forward and pushed Kakashi’s hand aside when the silver haired man tried to pull Naruto back. 

“Naruto!” 

“Trust me.” He gently said and smiled at Kakashi. 

“Obito-san. I know that you are angry with Kakashi, about what happened in your past, and that you probably don’t like me either, but what good would it do if we kill each other now? Who would win? I saw you looking at Madara earlier. I guess you were hoping that your clansman might come to help you, but Madara is not helping anyone – he is only thinking about himself and his goals. I guess he told you some grand elaborate story how great this war would be and how great this revenge idea would be for you,… well, is it? Is this revenge thing really that great? Because, you see I have an Uchiha friend too, who is, was,... well I’m not sure anymore, but that’s not really important right now, ‘tebayo… please excuse my rambling, the important thing is, he is so much like you. He was really into this revenge thing because he somehow lost his way and I guess when he killed his brother something must have changed inside him. I just want to say that when I met him again, I saw this broken empty shell and it really killed me to see him like this. I can see the same expression on you, and I know that revenge is not really what you are looking for. Madara is just using you. Am I right?”

Naruto could feel sweat breaking out on his forehead and his hands were trembling as he stared at the Uchiha in front of him. His throat was dry from his speech and he had to swallow a few times. He nervously licked his lips, it was dry like paper and he could feel how the skin of his lips was sore and chapped. His breath was quick, like he was gasping for air, but he knew that it was just because he was so anxious about Obito’s next move. What would the man say or do now? He could practically feel Kakashi’s anxious and tense energy radiating off him. He was like a grey wolf, ready to jump into action any time he sensed danger, because he had to protect his mate. 

Kakashi stopped breathing at some point. His entire body was so tense when he watched Naruto step closer to Obito. His old teammate stared at the blond and didn’t move. The atmosphere was charged with tension and heavy with emotions. Their focus was entirely on Naruto’s voice and his movements and Kakashi wished that Obito would do or say something. He wished that he could say something, but he couldn’t even breath. 

Obito crunched up his face and sniffed. The Uchiha clenched his fists as he watched the blond step a little closer. He didn’t want Naruto this close. He didn’t want Naruto to look at him like this. Everything that Naruto just said was true, and everything that Kakashi had said to him when he was fighting against his teammate was true as well. He just couldn’t bear to hear it.    
When Madara found him when he was a child, he had healed and mended his broken body. His clansman had told him that he couldn’t go back to the Uchiha Clan, because everyone believed that he had been killed on his last mission and he had given away his Sharingan in a disgraceful manner, everyone would shun him. He was devastated and believed him.   
When Madara had told him about Rin’s death it was the end of his world and Obito fell even easier into Madara’s trap.   
Obito had been a child at the time, he didn’t know any better and he had simply believed Madara.    
He had believed everything he said, because he had made the mistake to believe that as a fellow Uchiha, Madara would take care of him. He had followed him blindly into his own doom. He buried his face in his hands and grunted. “I was never as brilliant or as gifted as you were, Kakashi, but when Madara found me I thought that this might be my only chance to fully realize the potential of my Sharingan. I believed, if I got stronger… than maybe she would have loved me… and not you.” 

Naruto felt a gasp escape him and with wide eyes he quickly turned around to stare at the silver haired man behind him. Rin had been in love with Kakashi? Had he also… Naruto could feel a slight panic start in his chest. Of course, this was all in the past and he knew that Kakashi was only his now, but he just couldn’t help the jealousy and the deep possessiveness whenever he thought of someone else loving or touching his man. 

Kakashi stared at Obito with wide eyes. “Obito, you are wrong! We were teammates and friends, nothing more. She was always talking about you. You got this wrong!” He was baffled with this new revelation. Had he always been this ignorant? “Why have you never spoken to me about this when we were on a team? When we had the opportunities...” They couldn’t finish their talk, when they were suddenly interrupted again by the sheer force of Madara’s attack. He crashed into the group and screamed with a fury that was otherworldly. 

Naruto didn’t hesitate to counter the attack and slipped into the Bijuu Mode which kind of felt strange because he felt out of tune with Kurama’s other half, but he would manage. The warm bright Chakra was all around him and he was glowing in orange light. He raced towards Madara and their energies clashed against each other.    
Kakashi tried to chase after Naruto immediately, but Obito held him back. “Did you mean it? What you just said. Did you mean it?” They stared into each other’s faces. 

“I meant every word I’ve just said. Rin was just a friend to me. I wish you’d just spoken to me back then. I wish we’d spoken about so many things.”

“There was always so much hate inside me, Kakashi. I cannot go back.” 

“I understand.” He  _ did _ understand. He had served with Itachi in the ANBU and he had been Sasuke’s Sensei for a few years. If  _ someone _ understood the feelings of an Uchiha it was Kakashi. He nodded sadly and looked at his wayward teammate. “What do you need me to do?” 

“Madara… He used me. He told me all those things. I don’t even know anymore what’s true and what’s a lie anymore.” He turned to watch Naruto who had engaged in a fierce fight against Madara. The blond was able to keep the other at a distance, even though he was pushed to his own limits. “I wanted to see Rin again. That was my goal in this war I think, but I am not sure that this can actually happen. I would have even sacrificed him.” He pointed at Naruto. “But seeing that boy now and listening to his words has made me realize that I was wrong all along. Rin, my Sharingan, the village and Madara,… What have I been fighting for all this time?” Obito looked into the mismatched eyes and felt a deep sense of nostalgia in his chest. His Sharingan, a Mangekyo Sharingan pattern, was glowing in Kakashi’s eye. Only the best and highly trained Uchiha could even develop such a pattern. He had trained for years to develop his Mangekyo Sharingan. It was impressive that Kakashi was able to go this far, even if he wasn’t an Uchiha.    
His body was getting weaker, he could feel that Madara’s technique hadn’t been able to heal the damage on his inner organs completely and maybe it wasn’t the best idea to engage in a hard fight with Kakashi and Naruto just minutes after Madara and Zetsu had healed his body. He could hear Naruto’s grunts and screams from his fight against Madara when he sank to his knees. 

“Obito!” Kakashi said and touched his shoulder. 

“I’m fine. I guess that our fight earlier is now really getting to me. Kakashi,… Madara… You have to kill him. He wants to become the Jinchuriki of the ten tails and destroy the five nations. You have to destroy –“ He coughed and he could definitely taste some blood. He wiped his lips and looked at his hand to see if he was right.    
_ Blood.  _ He grunted.  _ The wounds must have reopened.  _

“Obito!” Kakashi’s voice was getting worried. “Don’t speak, just wait for a little bit, we have a medic with us and – “ Suddenly everything was sinking into Chaos when Naruto rushed towards them with a desperate cry as he tried to warn Kakashi of the impending danger. The older Uchiha laughed menacingly and attacked Kakashi and Obito with his Katon Jutsu. 

Naruto watched in Horror when the fire closed in on his lover. It was too close, he wouldn’t make it. “Kakashi!” He screamed. This couldn’t be true. They were just reunited. They were talking about their date and they told his Dad about their relationship. They were flirting around about Icha Icha Paradise and a wedding. This couldn’t be happening! Goddamn it he had just come back from near death, and he wouldn’t let anything happen to his man now that they were  _ so close _ to end this war! 

“Kamui!” Obito yelled brokenly. His life should have ended in that cave all those years ago, but he was permitted a second chance. He had wasted it on silly revenge plans against Kakashi. Who had never betrayed him. He had listened to Madara’s poisonous lies all those years and all that he had gained from that, was the loss of his family, his team, his village and the love of his life. The Magekyo Sharingan made him groan in pain and he felt blood run down his cheek. His Chakra was completely drained. He couldn’t flee. This would be his end. At least this time he would save Kakashi and they would part as friends. “You will live.”

Kakashi saw the fire closing in on him. He wouldn’t make it. He had been too focused on Obito, but suddenly he could feel the pull of Obito’s dimensional Jutsu, and he stumbled a little when the pull of the Kamui released him a few meters away from the fire.    
He felt disoriented when he looked around. What had just happened? Strong arms wrapped around his body and he turned his head around to look into the teary blue eyes of Naruto. “Kakashi! I thought… when I saw Madara’s attack… What the hell is going on?! How did you get away? Did you use your Kamui?” 

Kakashi gently touched Naruto’s arm to calm the upset man and looked around until he finally understood what had happened. “No. Obito. He… he must have pulled me away.”    
“Obito?!” Naruto quickly turned around and stared into Madara’s furious red eyes. 

When the Uchiha realized that he hadn’t been able to kill Kakashi because Obito had sacrificed himself he was even more furious than before.  _ That weakling, he was supposed to take care of the Bijuu!  _ Madara growled. 

“Get ready Naruto… Madara is coming.” Kakashi whispered tensely when he realized that they would have to face Madara now. There was no time for sentimentalities. “Sensei. Now would be a perfect time for back up!” He murmured and quickly took out a Kunai. Suddenly he could feel the abrupt and strong rise of Minato’s Chakra next to him. 

“I hope I’m not too late?” His hair and his coat were slightly singed from the flames, but in his arms was a barely conscious Obito. His Hiraishin no Jutsu had carried him gracefully through the flames and back to Kakashi and Naruto. Minato was a little amused by their shocked faces. He knew that they had agreed on a plan and a strategy, but he just couldn’t let his own student die. The boy that he had watched growing up.

“Sensei…” The man whispered. 

“Kakashi told me what you did, but you are still my student and I just can’t let you die like this Obito.” 

Naruto watched as Sakura and Gaara positioned themselves protectively in front of them. “Is everyone alright?” The redhead asked to make sure that everyone was well and ready for whatever came next. He lifted his hands and the sand gracefully moved around his body. 

“Gaara.” Naruto was so glad to see his friend. It was perfect timing indeed. “Yes, we are alright. Did you find Sasuke?” Gaara pulled up his sand to form a wall of defense around them. He had fought against Madara before. He knew how dangerous this man could be and Orochimaru wasn’t with them this time. He wouldn’t make the same mistakes again. “No, we couldn’t find Sasuke. Maybe he has abandoned us? We need to concentrate on Madara now. We can focus on Sasuke later, forgive me Naruto.” 

Naruto knew that Gaara was right. They had to focus, but he also knew that Gaara always had mixed feelings about Sasuke. He wouldn’t believe that Sasuke had just abandoned them. Gaara was just being overprotective again. 

*

Meanwhile Minato took Obito into a safe distance with his Hiraishin no Jutsu. He laid the young man down onto the ground and took a thorough look at Obito’s face and his wounded body. “I can’t believe how grown up you all are.” A sad smile made it to his lips. If he were alive, he would probably have to fight his tears. Kushina always said that he was too emotional. “I wish Kushina were here. You were her favorite after all.” 

Obito turned his face away. How could he look at the man who had taught him everything? How could he look into those blue eyes – the same blue eyes as those of the Jinchuriki boy that he had almost killed? Twice. 18 years ago, he had tried it when he had attacked the village and the Kyuubi had killed so many villagers, shinobi, Minato-Sensei  _ and  _ Kushina-san. How could he look into his eyes without feeling shame and remorse? He could never look at Minato-Sensei again. 

“She always cared so much about you. When she was pregnant with Naruto, she always said, she wished that our child would be just like you. Brave, kind and –“ 

“STOP! Stop it, Please!” Obito sobbed and turned around to look at Minato’s smiling face. “How can you say all those things to me when you know-“ Minato’s smile was still as brilliant and warm as it had been all those years ago. He could hear his Sensei’s voice when he was gently explaining a new mission or how to use a Kunai. He had always looked up at Minato-Sensei. Kushina was like a second mother to him. She was so funny and kind. Her hugs were warm and safe.    
But now, all he could think about were their torn bodies, in front of the little altar, where the crying baby was placed upon, after Minato-Sensei had sealed the Kyuubi inside his son. Blood was all over them and it had started to seep into the grounds. It would probably leave the grass tainted red forever. Obito could hear the pained groaning of Kushina. Minato’s heart had stopped beating a few minutes ago and Kushina would be dead soon as well.    
How could he have done that. She was the one who held him that winter, when he had been so sick with the flu that everyone was worried, if he would actually make a recovery at all, but Kushina stayed with him. She never left his side. She held his hand at night when his temperature was too high, and he was having horrible fever dreams. Obito’s body was heaving with ugly sobs, when he listened to her last breath. She was dead and their child lived. 

Minato stared at him. “Obito… I know what you did. Naruto and Kakashi filled me in already, but my time here is only limited. I do not wish to talk about what has happened in the past. I wish to talk to you about how we can still change the future. Not only their future.” He gestured to his son and the group that had huddled around him. Sakura and Kakashi were currently trying a combo attack against Madara, and Gaara was trying his best to shield them from Madara’s assaults. “But yours as well.” 

Obito gazed up into Minato’s eyes. “Mine?” he couldn’t believe that Minato offered such a thing. “I could never accept that.” He whispered and shook his head vehemently. A searing pain went through his body. It seemed like his body was rejecting the white Zetsus mass that held his body stitched together. He yelped in pain and gripped his chest. “Sensei.” Sweat was forming on his forehead. 

Minato gasped in horror when he saw blood on Obito’s chest. “What is happening?! What can I do?” He asked and felt panic rise in his body. 

“There is nothing you can do, Sensei. My body is rejecting the white Zetsus that Madara has used to stitch my body back together.” He reached for Minato’s hand. “There will not be any future plans for me, but I wish to beg for your forgiveness Sensei. You and Kushina-san meant so much to me. The team meant so much to me. I just… I lost my way… Sensei. I am so sorry!” He sobbed and squeezed Minato’s hand. 

Obito might be a grown-up man but all Minato could see was the little boy who was always bickering with Kushina and wanted to hold onto her hand when he was sick. Obito sometimes came over to their apartment to tell them funny stories about his Clan and eat dinner with them instead of his parents, because his family was too strict, and his father was disappointed in Obito when all his cousins developed the Sharingan way earlier than him. Minato always had a kind word for the young boy and showed him respect that the boy so desperately needed and didn’t get from his own parents.    
Minato took in a deep breath and leaned down. He gently took the man into his arms. “I know, it’s alright. Sensei will take care of this now.” 

***


	34. The final battle part 3 - Black Flames

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> war is almost over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have finished the last chapters of part 1 and I will UPDATE THE LONG WAY on tuesdays and saturdays from now on ;)  
> Part 2 of THE LONG WAY Series is also in planning and I am very happy about that <3 
> 
> thank's for leaving kudos and comments on this story :)

Minato made sure that Obito was safely hidden and quickly made his way back to the group who were trying their hardest to hold their ground against Madara. They were losing the higher ground, but it was clear that Kakashi and the others were bravely fighting against the Uchiha leader. He didn’t hesitate when he joined the fight.  
Madara was giving them a hard time and it was getting harder and harder not to fall back. Their situation changed drastically when Madara called upon his Susanoo. The huge blue creature was made of light and Chakra and it was towering before them. Blue flames were engulfing Madara. The huge creature was destruction incarnated, just like Madara himself. As he reached for his sword the little group around Kakashi tried to get away as quickly as possible, because with a single swing of his sword he almost destroyed the entire landscape around them. 

Gaara reacted quickly and put up a defensive shield around them all. When Susanoo’s sword hit the wall of sand everyone fell deadly quiet. They were closely huddled together because Gaara didn’t have much time to erect a bigger defensive shell, they were tightly pressed against each other or against the ground, but that didn’t matter. They were alive and they needed a new plan now. 

Kakashi had put his own body protectively over Naruto’s and held him tightly in his arms. “Well, to be honest, I had imagined this quite differently.” 

“What?” Naruto answered tensely. Naruto was on his back and Kakashi’s strong body was pressed against his. He could feel Kakashi’s thighs against his legs and his chest was pressed against the Jonin’s. His body played tricks on him and reacted to his strong desire for Kakashi. 

“The first time we’d lay like this?” Kakashi tried to joke around and chuckled darkly.

Naruto’s arms held onto the other man and gently moved over the green material of Kakashi’s jacket. His fingers were digging into Kakashi’s back. He tried to see Kakashi’s mismatched eyes in the darkness. “Baka, how can you say something like that to me right now?” Naruto whispered and blushed. 

“Better now than never.” Kakashi chuckled. 

“I would have preferred you’d never said it, Sensei.” Sakura grumbled into the darkness of their little shelter from next to the couple. She was tightly pressed against Gaara’s chest. She felt a little embarrassed that the Kaze Kage had to protect her so much. 

Gaara’s cheeks slowly took on the same color as his hair. He was very much overwhelmed with this situation. Not only was his friend flirting with Kakashi-san so openly, but also did he have to hold a woman in his arms and THAT was something he was NOT used to. He couldn’t even say anything, he just nodded. _But not to close. I need to be respectful!_ Gaara was sure that if Madara wasn’t going to kill them all, this would be his end. 

“Yes. I would have also preferred that you kept that to yourself Kakashi. I may support your relationship with my son, but I don’t want to hear such frivolities between you two.” Minato mumbled from the other side of the shelter tightly pressed against the sand wall. His muffled voice sounded a little tense in the darkness.

Naruto buried his face in Kakashi’s chest. This was so embarrassing. “Sorry Dad.” 

“Well. Let’s put aside that even though we are all in mortal danger and all that my lazy student can think about is my sweet and very INNOCENT son – you are **very** innocent Naruto am I right?” Minato’s voice was not allowing any protest. 

“Daaaad!” Naruto squealed. “This is so embarrassing; my friends are here!” 

“Haha! Don’t worry, I would have known if you had sex in the last few years. We are teammates after all. I’ve known you since we were little children, Naruto. Don’t worry Yondaime-sama. That baka is a virg-“ 

“SAKURA-CHAAAAN! KAKASHI IS LISTENING! Is anyone of you actually respecting what I’m saying?” Naruto yelled. Naruto knew that Kakashi was aware of their different experiences, but it was just very embarrassing that Sakura was telling his Dad that he had never been with anyone before. 

Some primal and animalistic instinct must have overruled Kakashi’s brain when he listened to Sakura loudly proclaiming Naruto’s virginity. His possessiveness over Naruto was clearly taking over. He quickly needed to clear his mind. His grip on Naruto was tight and he could hear his beautiful blond lover growl.

Sakura laughed and fell into an easy conversation with the Yondaime. They couldn’t see each other since it was very dark, but the easy conversation was taking their minds off things, like the brutal ongoing attacks from Susanoo and Madara outside. The shell was slowly cracking and soon they would have to face their enemy again.

“Ah, I am so glad to hear that Sakura-san. Kakashi… I am telling you… If you hurt my sweet little son… Kushina and I are going to come back from the grave to hunt you down.” Minato growled at his student.

“Please don’t.” Kakashi complained. Somehow the image of an enraged Kushina was so much worse than his sweet-tempered Sensei.

Naruto’s arms wrapped around Kakashi’s body a little tighter. He snuggled against the Jonin. If the situation was a little different, he could imagine them kissing now. Kakashi would start to caress his body and his hands would… _STOP!_ He shook his head.  
Kakashi’s body was so close to his own though and Kakashi’s thigh was pressed against his crotch that made it difficult for the young man to stay level headed. _Hnn... I wish we were alone somewhere, anywhere…_ He could hear his Dad and Kakashi debating but he didn’t care right now.  
_My god, did Kakashi’s body always feel so muscular?_ His hands smoothly moved over Kakashi’s back and towards his shoulders. His fingers buried in the green material when he felt a sudden jerk from Kakashi’s hips. _Oh god._ His hands moved up to Kakashi’s neck where he pulled on the silver hair. He was glad that it was so dark because he didn’t want Kakashi’s to see his face right now. He was sure that Kakashi would immediately know everything that he was thinking and fantasizing about. If they were alone in their apartment Naruto wouldn’t hesitate to kiss his man.  
_Goddamn it, be honest Naruto… you want to spread your legs for Kakashi._

“..., and I only want to know that my son is safe.”

“Sensei, I promise I would never hurt Naruto! I swear! I love and respect your son!” Debating with his Sensei was embarrassing enough but what was Naruto thinking wiggling his hips against his like that? He could feel the lean body sliding against his own in such a sensual way that it was driving him completely insane. His hips involuntarily jerked against Naruto’s and he could feel Naruto’s arms that were wrapped around his body tighten. He wanted to moan when his lover’s legs wrapped around his legs. He wished they were somewhere else. Alone. He would show Naruto just _how much_ he loved him. Naruto’s hands were wandering over his back and into his hair to pull his face closer.  
Minato had finally stopped with his worried rage. Thankfully also to Sakura’s help, who seemed to have taken pity on her Sensei and started up a little conversation with the Yondaime.  
Naruto had pulled Kakashi closer until his mouth was close enough to Kakashi’s face so he could whisper into his ear. “I wish we were alone.”  
Kakashi was propped up on his elbows over Naruto’s body and his face was very close to Naruto’s. He nuzzled his masked face into Naruto’s neck and turned his face until he could also whisper heated words into Naruto’s ear. “Me too.” Kakashi leaned more heavily on his right elbow and pressed his mask into Naruto’s blond hair. His left hand sensually travelled over Naruto’s neck. The soft collarbone. His chest and back up until he was leaning over his lover again. Leaning protectively over Naruto again.

Naruto gasped quietly and turned his face to press his lips against Kakashi’s mask. He nuzzled his nose against Kakashis. Stones were digging into his back and he could see nothing in this pitch-black darkness. Madara’s screams were getting louder from the outside and they knew that this moment of peace would be over any second. Naruto’s arms desperately wrapped around Kakashi when he realized that Gaara’s shield was cracking. He brushed his fingers through Kakashi’s hair and tenderly laid his hand on his lovers cheek. “I love you. Always.” Naruto’s words were soon drowned out by the sounds of heavy assault and Madara’s screams that started to penetrate their shelter.

“Get ready.” The redhead whispered tensely. Sakura had to admit that she had enjoyed this moment of closeness and intimacy with Gaara. It had been such a long time since she felt close and connected to someone like this. Her heart was still heavy with all the remnants of the feelings she had for Sasuke but after he had tried again to kill her and Naruto, she had actively tried to get over her crush and be stronger by herself. 

The screams and the battle sounds outside seemed to get louder and the group tried to get ready for anything. The sand was cracking on more and more spots and light started to filter through. Naruto was blinking a few times. A few rays of early sunlight were filtering in through the fine cracks in the sand. They made Kakashi’s silver hair shine ethereal. Naruto’s eyes were slowly adjusting to the light and he was just realizing, now that the sun was softly touching his cheeks, that the next morning had finally come. 

Kakashi tenderly touched his cheek. “Happy birthday, Naruto.” 

Naruto smiled. “Thank you, Kakashi.” He whispered and leaned into his touch. He felt his Dad reach out for his hand and he squeezed it tightly. 

“Happy birthday, my son.” Minato tried to keep his emotions in check. 

“Thank you, Dad.” Naruto chuckled. 

He was surrounded by his most important people in the world on his birthday – what more could he wish for. He smiled as the warm rays of sunlight hit his face.

“I wish we could celebrate your birthday with a little more decorum, but I fear that we will have to do that later.” Gaara grumbled from next to Naruto. The fine cracks were getting bigger. “I can’t hold this much longer.” He groaned and quickly wiped some sweat from his forehead. 

Suddenly it grew quiet around them and the assault on Gaara’s sand shield stopped. Everyone grew tense. What was going on? What had happened? Had the alliance decided to try a counterattack on Madara? “What should we do?” Sakura asked. “Should we stay? Should we go outside?” 

“We can’t stay like this. We are in a dangerous and very vulnerable position. We need to get out. Maybe the alliance has come to our help?” Minato tried to find an explanation for the sudden stop of Madara’s attacks. 

*

The attacks didn’t just stop. They were just directed to another target. Madara was surprised when he saw the young Uchiha stand in a distance, his Sharingan glowing with renewed vigor. Blood stained his clothes and the wound on his chest was still bleeding heavily, but he didn’t show any weakness as he took his sword in his hand and without hesitation attacked his fellow Uchiha. There was something feral and wild in the young Uchiha’s eyes. He screamed as he crashed into Madara.  
“If I have to die today, I shall take you down with me!” 

Madara laughed maniacally. “Let’s see, shall we?!” 

The Uchiha showed no mercy in their battle against each other and Sasuke decided that he would use all his strength to kill Madara. There had been too many dangers, plots and secrets that were associated with the Uchiha name. He would put an end to all of this. The Susanoo took form around him and the flames burned bright around his body.  
“Yes, we shall.” Sasuke moved effortlessly through the motions and made his Susanoo pull out his sword. It was a battle of titans as the Susanoos crashed against each other. 

“You are nothing but a stupid little boy! How dare you!” Madara raged. 

“I am protecting what was most important to my Nii-san!” Sasuke could feel his strength leaving him slowly. Fighting with the Susanoo was on a different level and he was sure that he couldn’t keep this up for much longer. “The future of Konoha.” His hands were trembling and he could clearly taste blood on his lips. He had to hurry.

*

They carefully made their way out of their shelter and gaped when they saw two Susanoos fight against each other. Naruto didn’t hesitate and wanted to race towards Sasuke, but Kakashi held him back. “No.” He told him sternly. “I can’t let you go there.” 

“What are you saying?! That is Sasuke! I told you he was with us all along. We **have** to help him. I have to –“ 

“What are you going to do? Fight against the Susanoo **and** Madara? No… I can’t let you go there.” Kakashi’s grip tightened around Naruto’s wrist, but the blond aggressively pulled his hand away and looked at Kakashi’s face with a grim and hurt expression. “Because you don’t trust Sasuke, or what?” 

Gaara felt the need to help Kakashi in this fight. He gently touched Naruto’s shoulder. “That is not what Kakashi-san is saying. But it is true that we cannot be of much assistance in this fight right now, Naruto. You should try to use this moment where Madara’s attention is only on Sasuke, to save the Bijuu.” 

Naruto tried to calm down and focus. It was just like that moment when Team 7 was on the bridge where Kakashi had tried to pull Naruto back from talking to Sasuke. He could feel Kakashi’s hand holding him back from running after his teammate. He knew that Kakashi was only worried about him, but he just wanted to **help** Sasuke and be with him now that they could be friends again. He nodded tensely. “The Bijuu. Right.” 

Their eyes met and Kakashi could feel that even though just minutes ago they were exchanging gestures of love, the atmosphere between them had completely changed. “I will come with you, Naruto.” 

“No. You should stay here with my Dad and Sakura-chan. In case something happens, they might need another Sharingan. Gaara will come with me. We will take care of the Bijuu.” Everybody was looking from Naruto to Kakashi. Everybody realized the tension between the lovers but decided that it would be unwise to comment on it. 

Kakashi felt like he had been hit by one of Naruto’s Rasengan. He looked at the blond and tried to hide how much that rejection just hurt. They hadn’t been separated since Naruto had joined him on the battlefield. Was it a mistake to say something about Sasuke? But even Naruto must see the danger in joining the Uchiha in this fight. He just wanted to protect his lover. He clenched his fists and nodded. “Alright. Be careful.” 

Naruto turned away from him and pulled on Gaara’s sleeve to make his friend follow him. 

*

Minato stared at Naruto’s back, completely confused about what just happened between his son and Kakashi. He turned to Sakura who also watched Naruto and Gaara disappear in the distance. “I think I might have missed something crucial here. What is going on?” he whispered to the pink haired woman.

Sakura groaned. “This is about Sasuke-kun. You see, Yondaime-sama, he was our teammate, but we have a very … how should I put it best… difficult relationship with him. He means a lot to us, but he left our team and Naruto never gave up hope that maybe one day he would come back to us, but…” Sakura stopped talking when she saw how tense Kakashi became when she talked about Sasuke. 

Minato also realized his student’s reaction. “I sense that something has happened between you and your students, Kakashi?” 

Kakashi knew that voice of Minato-Sensei. He felt guilt creeping up on him as he remembered several conversations he held with Sasuke. Imploring, that he should stop his revenge to concentrate on a light path in life. What good did it do? Sasuke almost killed Naruto at the valley of the end with the Chidori that Kakashi himself had taught the boy. When he finally found Naruto that night, it was sheer luck that Pakkun was able to pick up the trail. It had been raining so much, and his scent had almost been washed away. He had been so frantic that something had happened to his dear student, he was going crazy.  
“Yes… I can’t deny that there was some truth in Naruto’s words. I feel apprehensive when it comes to Sasuke. I feel so guilty because he has tried to kill Naruto with the Chidori… the Jutsu that I have taught him.” he buried his face in his hands. “He used it against you too, Sakura-chan. I am your Sensei. I can never forgive myself for that.” 

Sakura gasped and stared at Kakashi’s back. She had no idea that this was weighing so heavy on her Sensei’s shoulders. She knew of course that Kakashi had taught Sasuke the Chidori when he was younger. Now that she was older, she was glad that her Sensei also confided in her and told her the truth about his feelings towards Sasuke. “I had the feeling for the longest time that you feel that way about Sasuke-kun. I was sure, when I saw how you tried to shield Naruto and pull him away from Sasuke at the bridge.” She swallowed down her tears. “I am not angry at you, Sensei. If you think that I would feel that way because of my feelings for Sasuke or anything, you are wrong. I no longer love him like that. I think that Naruto’s reaction from before was just his heart being unable to let go of the Sasuke from the past. You know how Naruto is.” She sniffed. “He still wished that Sasuke was that little Genin, his rival, his best friend, but in his mind, he knows, _that Sasuke_ is no longer with us.” She shifted from one foot to the other and pushed her hands into her hips. She flipped her hair out of her face. “Also, I think that you shouldn’t worry Sensei, because knowing Naruto, he is probably driving Gaara nuts by now, telling him how worried he is about you and how much he misses you even though he could have just asked you to come with you. Haaa… I am the true victim here. Why am I punished with such idiots on my team?!”

Kakashi turned around to look at Sakura’s smiling face. “When did you grow up to be such a wise woman, to give your Sensei advice on life and love?” He asked her amusedly. 

Sakura giggled. “I’m just naturally brilliant.” She joked. 

Minato chuckled. He was happy to see that his gloomy student from the past had changed into a good man who was surrounded by wonderful people who cared for him. 

*

Naruto indeed tried to drive Gaara insane. The redhead was sure there was no one in the five nations who was able to speak so many words in so little time. “Do you think he is mad at me now? I didn’t want to make him angry. I mean I kinda did… but you know what I mean Gaara? Aaarg… It’s just I really wanted to help Sasuke and I feel like Kakashi doesn’t understand me AT ALL!” The blond raced towards the Gedo Statue and he could feel the Chakra of the Bijuu calling him. He needed to hurry. Kurama was so close! He wanted his grumpy old fox back!

“Actually, I am not really sure if I am the best person to give advice in such a situation Naruto.” Gaara stuttered. He was glad to help Naruto though. I felt really happy that Naruto was able to talk so openly with Gaara about things like this, and he wished that he would be able to help his friend. “I think that Kakashi-san is just worried about your safety. That is my observation. Truly, if I may say so my friend, Kakashi-san is not the only one who feels worried about Sasuke being here.” 

“Are you being overprotective again?” Naruto chuckled. 

“I feel like I am in my rights to say that Sasuke has a violent history. Not only against the people of the five nations but also against you. I’m talking about the many times that he has hurt you _emotionally_ and _physically_ and also about the times he has almost _killed_ you –“ Gaara tried to continue their conversation he had started in the land of iron, when he found Naruto shortly after Sasuke had attacked the Kage conference. 

“I KNOW. I know…” Naruto yelled. He was breathing hard and tried not to remember that fight in the valley of the end. The pain of Sasuke’s Chidori was excruciating. He could still see the hate in Sasuke’s eyes. He woke up in hospital the next day and Kakashi was sitting next to his bed, Icha Icha Paradise in his hands. He could clearly see that Kakashi hadn’t slept at all that night. 

“You know that Kakashi is just worried that Sasuke might do something to you. I may not know anything about that kinda love, Naruto, but I know how much it hurts to lose someone dear, and I guess that Kakashi is just terrified that he might lose **you**.” Gaara stated. 

Naruto bit his bottom lip. He knew that, and he was worried about Sasuke being here too, but there was this deep underlying wish that everything would be ok and that everything would be just like it was before. “When Sasuke attacked the conference and you came to me in the land of iron, you told me that soon I would have to face difficult decisions. You said that Sasuke doesn’t see me as his friend like I do… Did you really mean all that?” 

“I did, because I believe that you should think about the people who love you and care about you every day. It may be that he came today and helped you in this crucial moment, but what about all those years where he was absent, or he tried to kill you and your teammates? Do you not remember what you told me about friendship? It must be equal and unconditional. Does it still feel that way for you? Who are the people who love and care for you the most?” 

Naruto could feel the first tears running down his cheeks. Gaara was right, but it hurt so much letting go of someone, that he had grown up with. He could feel how his heart was clinging onto Sasuke – or rather that image he still had of his childhood friend. Sasuke was such a deep integrated part of his life and letting go of that, simply felt unnatural. He sniffed “Maybe you are right.” 

They landed in front of the Gedo statue. Naruto looked at Gaara who stared analytically at the statue, probably already making plans on how they could get the Bijuu out of there. Naruto quickly wrapped his arms around Gaara. “Thank you for being here. I will think about what you said.”

Gaara smiled and patted his friend on his head. “I know you will. Come on let’s get them out of there.” 

“YOSH!” Naruto yelled and together they jumped onto the huge wooden construction. Gaara and Naruto were trying to get to the top of the Gedo statue to free the Bijuu. “I can feel Kurama!” Naruto shouted over the winds that blew harshly into his face and cut into his skin. “He’s close.” He got restless and he wished that he could simply rip the wood open and pull the old fox out from this cage that kept them apart. 

“I can feel Shukaku. How…?” Gaara stood next to Naruto and stared at the statue with wide shocked eyes. He hadn’t felt Shukaku’s Chakra like this in such a long time but now that the Bijuu’s Chakra was so close he felt his own longing for the Bijuu that had been a part of him for such a long time. “How can this be? We were separated. I am no longer a Jinchuriki.” He whispered. 

“But you will always be a part of each other.” Naruto said calmly. “Shukaku knows that. He calls for you.” The blond smiled. “Come on. We need to get them out.” 

Gaara stood there dumbfounded for a second and blinked a few times. _Knows what?_ Gaara quickly shook his head and hurried after his friend who got ready to attack the wooden figure. “Are you sure we can simple attack this thing and free them like this?” Gaara asked worriedly. 

Naruto shrugged. “I feel Kurama calling for me. And seriously… Do you have a better idea? I mean, look at Madara, do you think that we have so much time for trying out elaborate strategies?” 

Gaara's eyes wandered between the huge Susanoos and Naruto who got ready to blast the Gedo statue into pieces. He shrugged. _Well, better go with it._ The young Kaze Kage decided. 

Naruto concentrated his Chakra in his right hand and groaned when he felt that he would reach his limits soon. He was getting tired after all the fighting, but he needed to save the Bijuu! “Fuuton, _Rasen Shuriken!“_ he screamed in pain when he realized that his Chakra was too low to simultaneously heal the damage and hold the Rasen Shuriken. _No, I can’t give up now! Kurama!_

Gaara realized that something must have gone wrong, but he saw that Naruto didn’t stop and decided that this might be their only chance, so he went along with his attack as well. He called his sand and attacked the heavy wooden construction. Their powerful attack created such a strong shock wave that they were thrown back. The wood tore open where they hit it and a wide crack ran from the top of the statue where Naruto and Gaara stood to the bottom. It started to shake wildly, and Naruto was stumbling around. Gaara quickly grabbed his friend and jumped down from the statue. He hurried to create a sand cloud that would take them to a safe distance. Naruto held onto Gaara’s shoulders as they were gliding through the air and watched as the wood tore itself to pieces. 

Suddenly the statue was breaking apart and the wild roaring of the Bijuu could be heard. Naruto started to shake Gaara enthusiastically. “Gaaraaa! We did it! Gaara look! LOOK!” 

“I am watching, Naruto!” Gaara chuckled as the blond hugged him full of happy excitement.

“Gaara take me to Kurama, please!” 

“Alright.” The young Kaze Kage felt amused by the blond's enthusiasm to see the fox again. 

*

The Bijuu waged their tails and roared happily when they were finally freed from their cage. Kurama was looking around worriedly. Where was Naruto? He had been sure that he felt his little Jinchuriki just a minute ago. Has something happened to his little one? Suddenly he saw the Kaze Kage and Naruto approaching them. Naruto quickly jumped from the sand cloud and ran towards the Bijuu. 

“Kurama! You’re safe! Did you miss me? I missed you so much!” He stumbled over some rocks and jumped onto the big fluffy furry paw. “Kurama!” He buried his face in the orange fur. Kurama’s warm Chakra was surrounding him and he could feel how all the pent-up anxiety was falling off him. He didn’t even know how incomplete he felt without his companion. 

The other Bijuu chuckled around them, but decided not to comment this time when they saw Kurama’s soft smile. The big ancient fox leaned down and pushed his nose into the blond head. “Baka.” He could hear Naruto’s happy giggle and felt much calmer. 

“Naruto…” Gaara’s grave voice pulled him out of this happy reunion with Kurama. “What is it Gaara?” Naruto asked and let go of Kurama’s warm fur. He jumped down from his paw and turned around. Gaara was just a few steps away and leaned over something, or someone? Naruto couldn’t quite see it. Naruto walked over to his friend and when he reached him he felt like someone had punched all the air from his lungs. 

“Bee…” he whispered brokenly. He fell to his knees and took the older Jinchuriki’s lifeless hand. “How can this be? We’ve been together. I saw him…” Naruto tried to make a sense of this. But nothing made sense right now. He held the cold hand of his friend in his own and he suddenly remembered that painful day when the Akatsuki killed Gaara. “No… No…” He leaned over Bee’s body and bitter tears drenched his friends Uniform. Gaara kneeled down next to Naruto and put his arms around him. He understood the pain in Naruto’s heart. A Jinchuriki had been killed again and Naruto felt that loss deeper than anyone. He was the last Jinchuriki now after all. 

Naruto was devastated. Bee had become a really good friend and he had done so much for him. How could he let this happen? Bee actually wanted to stay on the island. He wanted to stay out of this war and this conflict from the beginning. He just joined this war because Naruto was stubborn and decided that he couldn’t stay away from Kakashi and his friends any longer. He could feel Gaara’s arms around him and he was so glad that his friend was with him, because Gaara understood his pain better than anyone, but his heart was aching for Kakashi in this moment more than ever.  
He wished that he hadn’t been so angry and proud, because if had just listened to what Kakashi had to say, his lover would be here now and he would have the warm comfort of Kakashi’s arms. More and more tears ran down his cheeks and Naruto sobbed pitiful over his friend. 

*

Madara was getting restless as he realized that the young man in front of him wouldn’t budge. He should’ve made sure that he was dead, when he put that sword through him. He growled and went for another attack. This was getting tedious. He would cut that little brat down and when he was done with him, he would take down each and every one of those little weaklings down there. He grunted and pulled Susanoo’s sword back for his next attack, which also made him look over to the Gedo Statue. Just at that moment the huge statue exploded and the Bijuu were freed. 

He could only watch when the nine tails leaned down and gently nuzzled that damn brat’s head and the other Bijuu huddled around each other. _Disgusting creatures…_ it made him gag. _And that Jinchuriki is still alive_ . His face scrunched up into a hate filled ugly grimace that held no compassion whatsoever. _I will make that filthy brat pay._ Now that Obito was lost to him, his Gedo Statue was destroyed and the Bijuu were freed he would at least kill that Jinchuriki for his own pleasure. That stupid little Uchiha brat could wait a little, he would take care of him later. Madara grinned sardonically and raced away from Sasuke. The Susanoo’s armor dropped from his body and he ran into Naruto’s direction. 

Sasuke was ready to face any attack from the other Uchiha but when Madara suddenly stopped attacking he was confused. What was going on? He tried to quickly analyze the situation, but when the Gedo statue with the captured Bijuu exploded he knew what Madara was after. He could hear Kakashi’s worried scream in the distance when Madara dropped the Susanoo armor to race after Naruto. As the enemy rushed towards Naruto ready to kill the blond shinobi, Kakashi and Sasuke moved simultaneously. Kakashi wouldn’t be fast enough to protect Naruto. Sasuke dropped the Susanoo as well and ran after his clansman. He would not let Naruto die like this. 

_I hurt you so many times. Let me at least do this for you, you Usuratonkatchi._ Sasuke moved without a second thought. _You need to live and become Hokage._

He could see Madara in front of him. He had to reach him. Kakashi’s and Sakura’s Chakra were getting closer too. Madara was getting ready to attack the blond. Why wasn’t that Idiot moving? He could see Naruto leaning over someone. What was going on? 

“Katon!” Madara yelled.

Sasuke’s heart was racing in a last attempt to keep his body going on pure adrenaline. He could almost reach Madara. In a desperate effort to save Naruto he used his Amaterasu. It reached Madara and the black flames engulfed him completely. They took over Madara’s body and burned him alive and everything around him. 

Sasuke’s breath was fast and ragged as he coughed up clumps of blood and sacked down on the ground. There was blood everywhere, on his clothes, his hands and the ground around him. He knew that he was losing too much blood too fast. Distantly he heard Sakura’s scream. Sasuke’s knees gave out and his face hit the earth. There was a loud crash and suddenly all went quiet around him. 

***


	35. Sasuke part 5 - The Last

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ...when the war is over... tears will follow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the war arc ... is over O.o  
> Don't hate me :(
> 
> Blood, sweat and tears... I can't believe that it's really over.  
> This is also the last angsty part or TLWBH.
> 
> Gaara is just as precious as a kudo or a comment. :)

“Sasuke-kun!” That was Sakura's voice. He opened his eyes again and watched the tears streaming down the soft pink cheeks. “Sasuke-kun, don’t give up! Please!” 

“Saku-ra.” He tried to say her name. “It’s alright. Don’t waste your Chakra on me. You will need it to heal the others.” The smile felt forced, but her tears felt much worse than any physical pain. Blood was making its way into his lungs and he was coughing it up in clumps. When he had attacked Madara he saw how bravely the Kaze Kage had stood between the Katon Jutsu and Naruto, ready to defend Naruto, even if it would cost him his life. Sasuke remembered how he once fought against Gaara when they were Genin. He chuckled. Gaara had changed so much.

She was sobbing as she was reaching for his hands. She knew as soon as she scanned his body with her healing Chakra, that he was lost. “Sasuke-kun… Why?” 

“I had to save him. I had to at least do this for him. All the things that I did…to him… to you… He has so much to live for.” His eyes were getting tired. 

Kakashi made his way over to the fallen Uchiha. He could sense Minato-Sensei’s and Obito’s Chakra coming closer. It seemed like his Sensei had watched what had happened and decided to join them. He looked at the black flames of the Amaterasu that had completely engulfed Madara. Kakashi couldn’t even put words to the endless relief that he felt, now that Madara was dead. 

“Kakashi… You should make sure… I can’t use my Kamui anymore. But you should make sure that he is dead. You need to seal him.” Sasuke brokenly whispered. He was beaten up and he could feel that his wounds had reopened. There was so much blood all over his body he could taste it on his tongue, his lips, it was everywhere. He gagged on the taste. Sakura took his hand in her own and lightly squeezed it. She was gently brushing the black hair from his face. Sweat was forming on his forehead. He could feel his body suffering under the excruciating pain.

Kakashi felt completely drained. After all that fighting and this war, he was so tired like never before. Both, mentally and physically he felt completely drained. He kneeled next to Sasuke and gently touched his shoulder. Even if his feelings towards Sasuke were complicated and apprehensive, he had never wished this end for his student. He could hear the ragged breath and he could see the pale face that was scrunched up in pain. “I will make sure that he will never rise again, but you should stay calm Sasuke. Let Sakura take a look at your wounds.” 

“You know very well that it’s too late.”

Minato finally made it to their little group, and it seemed that he had just arrived in time. He could see Kakashi and Sakura huddled around the young Uchiha boy and in the distance, he could see Naruto. His son was holding another man in his arms that the Kaze Kage helped him carry. The situation was dire. Obito tightly held onto him and together they made their way closer to the shaken and beaten-up group of friends. He had decided to take Obito with him, because his condition had worsened and leaving his student alone was just impossible to Minato. “Are you ok Obito? Are you going to make it? We will be with the others soon.” He tried to encourage the other man and pulled him along. 

Obito nodded weakly and followed his Sensei over the battlefield. He could see Kakashi’s silver hair as he leaned over the bleeding body of that young boy. He had watched the brutal fight from a distance. What a brave boy. He had fought Madara alone to protect his friends. He was so much braver than he was. Obito bit his lip and tried to stay strong as he held onto Minato’s shoulders who dragged him along. “I’ll try, Sensei.” 

*

Naruto had been so immersed in his grief over Bee, that he hadn’t fully registered what had happened, but when he heard Madara’s booming voice he pulled away from Bee’s body and realized just how close Madara was. Gaara forcefully pushed Naruto down and tried to erect another wall of defense but he yelped in pain when the Katon Jutsu burned his arm. Even though he was hurt Gaara quickly reacted and pulled the sand around himself and Naruto. “Aaah!” The fire didn’t penetrate the wall but the young Kaza Kage groaned in pain when he felt the flesh on his arm burn. 

“Gaara!” Naruto screamed in panic when he saw that his friend was hurt. Suddenly there were black flames. Naruto gasped when he saw the flames of the Amaterasu and he was afraid that Madara would now try to finish what he had started, but the flames didn’t reach for them. When he heard Madara’s screaming, when his body burned alive in the pitch black scorching flames of Sasuke’s Amaterasu, he knew that he hadn’t been wrong about Sasuke!

“Gaara! Gaara, are you alright?” Naruto could hear Kakashi’s voice in his head, that was reminding him ‘one thing after another’. He had to take care of Gaara first. His friend leaned heavily against his shoulder and bit his lip to stop himself from screaming in pain as the burned flesh turned an ugly shade of dark red. “Let me take a look Gaara, I can help you!” 

“No. Your hand. The Rasenshuriken?”

“I don’t care about that right now. Let me take care of you!” Naruto grumbled and gently lifted Gaara’s hand. Gaara was right of course. His hand was hurting so much he could barely stand it. His Chakra was dangerously low, and he would probably pass out after he had healed his friend. He wasn’t even able to heal his own damaged hand and healing Gaara’s wound would really push him to his limits, but he needed to do something for his friend, Dattebayo! He pulled himself together and concentrated the rest of his Chakra before he gently put his hands on top of the ugly burned flesh. 

Gaara hissed when he felt Naruto’s touch, but he decided to let the blond go on. He watched him with curiosity and suddenly he felt Naruto’s warm golden Chakra surround his hand and his arm. It was soothing, warm and cool at the same time and he could feel the pain slowly ebbing down. He sighed in relief when he realized that his skin was starting to heal and that the red, swollen, bloody skin was already turning a lighter shade of pink. “How …? What …?” 

“I guess knowing how to use the Bijuu Chakra has its perks?” Naruto whispered. His breath was ragged, and he tried to stay up.

“Naruto! You shouldn’t have done that! You are –“ 

“- _glad_ that you are alright.” He turned to stare at Bee’s lifeless form and with a sad expression he looked back at Gaara. “I couldn’t deal with losing two friends in one day.” Naruto tiredly kneeled down next to Bee’s body and looked into the dark eyes of the Kaze Kage. “Will you help me carry him? We need to take him with us. I guess Kakashi and the others have arrived.” 

“Of course, my friend.” Gaara kneeled down as well and together they heaved the heavy body of the fallen Jinchuriki onto their shoulders. 

*

When they finally made it back to their friends Naruto’s eyes immediately sought out Kakashi who was busy with Madara’s body. The silver haired man stood over the burned body that had turned completely black and performed a series of hand signs. He had also placed several seals on the body. Naruto stopped and watched transfixed as Kakashi kneeled and let his fingers glide through the sealing Jutsu. “SEAL!” 

“Kakashi-san has to seal the body. It’s protocol. Madara may be dead, but he still has the Sharingan, which poses a potential high risk.” Gaara mumbled next to him. Of course Naruto understood that. He knew the protocols. Shikamaru made him study that shit when he came back from his trip with Ero-Sennin. It wasn’t about the protocol, or about Madara… It was Kakashi. 

_I just love watching Kakashi move._

They put Bee down and finally Naruto was able to take it all in. He really wanted to see Sasuke and talk to him. His eyes wandered from Kakashi, who finished up the sealing procedures, to his Dad, who had just arrived at the scene with Obito hanging from his shoulders. The older Uchiha didn’t look well at all. Naruto was looking for Sasuke. He thought that his teammate might be standing somewhere on the sidelines. Sasuke had never been such a peoples person. Suddenly Sakura’s soft whimpering reached his ears and he was alarmed that something might have happened to her, but what he saw shocked him even more. “Sasuke!!” Naruto yelled desperately when saw that his pink haired teammate cradled Sasuke’s head gently on her lap and tried her best to stop the heavy bleeding from a stab wound on his chest. 

“Sasuke...” He called his friend's name again as he fell to his knees next to his friend. He reached for Sasuke's hand and looked into the half lidden, dark eyes. He looked so fragile. He had never seen Sasuke like this. “Is this a trick? Like back then, when we were Genin? You remember Zabuza right? When I thought you were dying and…” 

“Naruto.” Sasuke gently squeezed his hand in an attempt to make his friend stop talking. “I am sorry.” 

“Baka… you will be alright, so stop saying stupid stuff like that!“ Naruto sniffed and he felt how his sight was getting blurry with tears. He wiped them away angrily because he wanted to look at Sasuke’s face. He needed to remember his eyes and his voice and his hair and – he sniffed again. His hands were shaking, and he tried to hold onto Sasuke as if his hand alone would stop the inevitable. 

“ah… you are right about that… I was pretty stupid about many things. Will you forgive me?” He looked at his old teammates who had gathered around him. Sakura was sobbing while she nodded. She tightly held his hand. Naruto sat on his other side squeezing his other hand. His lip was trembling, and he was trying to keep in his sobs. “Of course, I will. Sasuke, but _please_ let me heal you, I can –“ He knew that he didn’t have enough Chakra anymore. 

“No. it’s too late. You must feel it too,… Naruto.” 

“No! Sasuke, I can –“ 

“It’s alright. You have forgiven me, that is all I need.”

Minato dragged his student closer to the sad little group that had huddled together. He could see that Obito was eyeing the dead Jinchuriki which was guarded by the Kaze Kage. “Obito?” 

Obito understood that the death of his Jinchuriki friend must have hurt Naruto-kun very much and the impending death of the young Uchiha must also weigh heavily on his shoulders. He remembered that he spoke about ‘ _his own difficult Uchiha teammate_ ’ which sounded more like a fond nickname than an insult. This young man must be very important to Naruto. Obito took in a deep breath and tried to be brave. Just like his fellow clansman who had risked everything to save his friends. 

He listened to them argue and he could hear himself and Kakashi, when they were so much younger. Obito could see Kakashi come closer and their eyes met in an understanding that gave him the courage and the inner peace that he had been looking for a very long time. 

*

Naruto felt the first angry tears run down his cheeks. He couldn’t believe that this would be the end. Of course, he could feel Sasuke’s heartbeat getting weaker and weaker. Sasuke had lost so much blood, it was a wonder that he was awake at all, but he could heal him. Naruto knew he could! Why was Sasuke being an idiot right now? 

Sasuke looked up into Kakashi’s Sharingan. The Jonin had joined them again after he had sealed the Uchiha Clan leader like Sasuke asked him to. “It is done. I sealed his body, and I will take care of his Sharingan when we get back to the village. I promise Sasuke.”  
“Thank you Kakashi. I am sorry that I didn’t… “ he coughed up more blood. Breathing was getting harder. “- listen to you, when I was a boy. You were trying to look out for me... I know now, that you meant well when you said that revenge was a bad idea.” 

Kakashi kneeled next to Naruto and gently caressed Sasuke’s black hair. “Let’s not talk about that now.” 

Sasuke could feel Kakashi’s warm hand on his head. “Be good to him.” Sasuke listened to Naruto’s and Sakura’s sobbing. Did he ever make them happy? Now that his life was ending, it seemed like all he ever did to them was hurt them and make them cry. Yet, he could feel them cling to his hands like he was the most important thing in the word and it made his wounded heart ache even more.

“I will.” Kakashi’s voice was soft. 

“Your Sharingan… Keep it safe. Protect it.”

His old Sensei nodded softly. “I promise. I will always keep it safe.”

Obito’s trembling hands slipped from Minato’s shoulder and on wobbly legs he stepped closer to the crying group. “Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun, everyone, I have to tell you something and I will make it quick… I am able to use the _Rinne Tensei_. I could save Sasuke-kun or Bee-san, if that is your wish.” Obito quickly explained. 

Sakura and Naruto gasped and tightly squeezed their teammates' hands. Minato, Kakashi and Gaara just openly stared at the Uchiha. “Obito… What are you saying?” Kakashi couldn’t believe what he was hearing. That his teammate was willing to sacrifice himself in such a way. 

Naruto felt elated when he heard Obito say that he was able to use the Rinne Tensei. He would be able to help Sasuke! He was of course brought back into a harsh reality when he remembered how that Jutsu worked and blinked a few times. “But… doesn’t that mean that Sasuke would have to die first?! Why can’t you bring both of them back?” 

“I… I can only bring back one person… My Jutsu is not as strong as Pain’s. I am sorry Naruto-kun.”

“I will not… permit this.” Sasuke whispered brokenly. “If I die, I wish to be reunited with my brother. If you bring me back, I will never forgive you.” 

“What the hell are you talking about?! Teme! We want you to live!” 

“Naruto… You’ve always been such an Usuratonkatchi. You want to be Hokage one day, don’t you? If you decide…” His skin felt hot and cold at the same time and he was getting so tired. His eyes wandered disoriented between his teammates. “… to save me instead of the Raikage's brother,…it could incriminate you.” 

A heavy silence fell over the group. Kakashi’s eyes fell on his lover. He could see Naruto’s body trembling as he took in the information. It was true. It may not be Naruto’s sole decision who to bring back with the _Rinne Tensei_ , but should he decide to let the brother of the Raikage die, it could mean political and aggressive conflicts between the villages. It was common knowledge that Tsunade, and many of the clan leaders of the village, were already strongly in favor of training Naruto to be the Hokage one day. Kakashi could see the hurt and the confusion in Naruto’s blue eyes. This was a situation that Naruto had never been confronted with. Kakashi wished that he could just take him into his arms and pull him away from all of this. 

“They might not make you Hokage if they find out that you’ve chosen a criminal over an innocent.” Sasuke’s voice was getting weaker as he spoke. 

Gaara closed his eyes. Sasuke was right. It definitely could incriminate Naruto. It could be very problematic if the council found out that their future Hokage had the option of saving the Raikage’s brother and decided against it to save Sasuke, whose face was in all the Bingo Books. He could only imagine the pain his friend felt right now. 

“You know… that…a Hokage needs to make ugly decisions sometimes.” 

“But, how can you make me decide SOMETHING LIKE THAT!?” Naruto cried and held Sasuke’s hand tightly against his chest. 

“You will make the right choice, Hokage-sama.” A soft smile danced over Sasuke's lips and a tear ran down his cheek. He looked at Naruto and gently squeezed his hand. “Promise me that you will take the hat.” 

_Maybe Itachi will be there… Maybe I will see Nii-san again._ His eyelids were getting heavier and he couldn’t keep his focus anymore. His eyelids were dropping and his whole body was sinking deeper into a heavy darkness. _Itachi… I just want to be with you… wherever that is. I wish to see you again._

Kakashi gently brushed away the back hair. Kakashi looked at his student. He remembered the angry kid that ran away, that fought against Naruto every day. He remembered the handsome boy that all the girls were in love with. He nodded brokenly as he watched Sasuke’s eyes close. Kakashi squeezed his eyes shut. Watching a student die felt unnatural. Sakura was sobbing pitifully as she threw herself on Sasuke’s dead body. “NO! Sasuke! Don’t leave us!”

Naruto still held Sasuke’s hand and pressed it to his chest. “No.” He cried and squeezed his hand as if he could revive him. Of course, he knew that it was useless because he felt no heartbeat in Sasuke’s body anymore. He looked at Kakashi as if he would have the answer in such an unreal situation. Something so incomprehensible and so painful just couldn’t be real. 

“Come here.” The older man whispered brokenly and gently touched Naruto’s arm in an attempt to soothe the pain. 

“NO! I won’t let him die!” Naruto screamed and angrily pushed Kakashi’s hand away. “I can still save him!” 

Sakura sat up and looked at her friend through teary eyes. She understood Naruto’s pain. “Naruto… Sasuke is gone.” She whispered, her body was heaving with sobs. 

“NO! He… I can save him!” Naruto took in a deep breath and let his hands hover over Sasuke’s body. 

_Please, Kurama. Help me. I have to save him._

**Your Chakra is dangerously low. It just doesn’t work that way, kid.**

_I have to try._

His body was glowing in Kurama’s golden Chakra as he tried to heal Sasuke. Naruto tried to concentrate on all the broken and torn tissue in his body. There was so much internal bleeding, he couldn’t fathom how Sasuke had even been able to fight or walk at all. He pushed himself to the limit and started screaming in pain when he felt his body burning up under the pressure. He didn’t have enough Chakra after healing Gaara.

He couldn’t heal him. Why couldn’t he heal him? “Why is it not working?!” He screamed in pain as he looked into the lifeless face of the young Uchiha, who had sacrificed himself for his team. “Aaaahhh! Noooo!” Sasuke’s shirt was drenched in blood, but Naruto didn’t care when he put his face on the pale chest. Naruto’s tears were mixing with Sasuke’s blood. His ear was pressed against the pale chest in a desperate attempt to hear a heartbeat - but there was none. No more heat radiating from his body. He would never again see Sasuke’s disapproving or angry glare. They hadn’t been on friendly terms in years but it still broke his heart and tore his chest open to feel the body of his teammate going cold under his touch. “No… This can’t be real, Sasuke.” he cried so many tears until he could feel Kakashi’s gentle touch on his shoulder. 

“Naruto…” Kakashi’s gentle voice pulled him out of the agony that he felt. He slowly sat up and pulled away from Sasuke. He turned around and looked into Kakashi’s Sharingan. His lips were trembling and he could feel his body going into some kind of shock, when reality started to settle into his mind. More and more tears were flowing down his cheeks. He would never see Sasuke’s glowing Sharingan again. 

Sakura was sobbing behind him. She was still clinging onto Sasuke’s shirt and she was gently brushing through his black hair, which was slightly obscuring his handsome face. She touched the pale lifeless cheeks. “Sasuke-kun…” 

How long had he looked into Kakashi’s face like that? He didn’t know, but suddenly he could feel Kakashi’s warm arms wrap around him and he sagged against his lover. Kakashi’s big hands were gently brushing through the blond hair. He held onto Kakashi like a lifeline, because he felt like he was falling to pieces. He couldn’t understand what had happened but every time he opened his eyes he saw Sasuke’s dead body in front of him. “Do you think that he is with Itachi now?” Naruto whimpered. 

Kakashi gently caressed Naruto’s back. “I think that they are together. Hopefully Sasuke and Itachi can find their peace now.” Kakashi pulled Naruto into his chest and let the young man cry. His eyes wandered over to Sakura who was sobbing over Sasuke’s dead body. Gaara had joined the young woman and gently patted the pink hair. When Sakura fell into his arms to cry against his uniform he didn’t say anything, he just tenderly wrapped his arms around her and let her tears soak his shirt.

*

Obito slowly walked over to the fallen Jinchuriki. Minato followed him closely and watched as his student sat cross legged next to Bee. The others watched as Obito closed his eyes and focused his Chakra. “I will use the Rinne Tensei to bring back Bee-san. Naruto, your teammate is right. When you become Hokage, there will be days when you will have to make hard and ugly decisions, but you have to stay strong. For the people you love and for the village, because you will lead them and they will look to you for guidance and protection. You will be their beacon of hope.” Obito turned his head and with tired eyes he looked at his old teammate. 

“Kakashi. I may now be the last Uchiha, but when I die, you will have the last Sharingan. Sasuke-kun already said it, but... since it is my Sharingan that will stay with you, I just want to say; keep it safe and maybe you can lift the curse one day, that was always associated with the Sharingan.” He smiled gently at the silver haired man. “Mah, don’t look like that Kakashi. I will join Rin very soon and I forbid you to join us too soon! You told me that you have much to live for anyway, so stay away from me and Rin. We wanna be alone for a bit! Is that clear?! Stay with your Hokage-lover-boy FOR A VERY LONG TIME!” Everyone was silent and listened to the last Uchiha speak. 

Kakashi sniffed and nodded. “Crystal clear.” He felt Naruto hold onto him and he was glad that the blond was so close to him right now. 

Obito smiled and turned back to Bee. He put his palms together and got ready to perform the Jutsu.

Minato kneeled down next to his student and gently wrapped his arms around him. “I was always proud of you Obito.” He whispered and leaned his head against his students shoulders. He didn’t want Obito to feel alone right now. “I am here.”

“Thank you Sensei.” Obito took in a deep breath. “RINNE TENSEI!” His body sagged into Minato’s arms. 

*

Bee opened his eyes and groaned. “My head is killing me.” He felt completely disoriented and the light was hurting in his eyes. He tried to reach deep inside himself to feel Gyuki’s Chakra but it wasn’t there. He panicked for a moment. What was going on? The Hachibi was gone?! What happened?! His eyesight was getting blurry and he couldn’t breath very well and suddenly he could hear voices around him that he couldn’t quite associate. 

“He’s panicking, because he can’t feel the Hachibi.” 

“We need to calm him!” 

“Bee-san, calm down!” 

There was no air. What was going on with his body? Where was the Hachibi? What happened with Naruto and the Kyuubi? “Hachibi?!” 

“Gyuki is fine! All the Bijuu are fine. YOU are fine, Bee!” That was Naruto’s voice. 

“Naruto…?!” He tried to turn his head and look at his young friend. He could see the wild blond hair and a tired smile. Naruto’s face was smeared with blood and his eyes were red and swollen. It looked like he had been crying a lot. “What happened?”

“The Bijuu were extracted from us Bee.” Naruto stated calmy. “We are alive, but you are no longer a Jinchuriki.” The blond murmured. 

“I don’t understand. Should I be dead then? What about you? Are you… no longer a Jinchuriki either?” Bee asked. He was so confused by all that information. 

“Naruto is the last Jinchuriki, but that is a very long and complicated story, Bee-san and a lot has happened. We are very happy to have you with us again.” Gaara quietly explained.

They helped Bee sit up who seemed a little dizzy and out of it. Gaara understood that feeling very well, because he had felt exactly the same when he woke up after Chiyo-baa-san brought him back to life after the Akatsuki had taken Shukaku from him. Even though he hated being a Jinchuriki and most of his life he had been afraid of having this creature sealed inside him, he suddenly had to fight strong feelings of loss, because he felt incomplete without the Bijuu. He could see Bee going through the same feelings right now. It was such a strange thing, being a Jinchuriki. Gaara had also seen the strong desire to be reunited with the Bijuu in Naruto’s eyes shortly before they had destroyed the Gedo statue and he remembered what it did to him, feeling Shukaku this close again. 

“You are the last?” Bee asked. “I see… but the Bijuu are fine? Are they free?” Bee was still disoriented and confused. 

Naruto smiled sadly at his friend and nodded. “Yes.” With his sleeve he brushed over his eyes and his nose. “They are free. We can talk to them later.”

Bee’s head hurt and he tried to control the strong dizziness he felt. When Naruto and Gaara helped him sit up his eyes fell on the dead body of Uchiha Sasuke not even a few meters in front of him. He had met Sasuke only once, but he would never forget that fight. Now he looked into the lifeless face of the man who had tried to kill him. What had happened while he was dead? He looked around and he took in one sealed body, which was presumably Madara. His eyes wandered over to the blond man, who looked very much like Naruto who gently cradled the body of that freak they had been fighting. Bee groaned. “I guess I really missed a lot?” 

“You have no idea…” Naruto squeezed Bee’s arm and helped the older man sit more steady. “I just wanna go home.” He whimpered. 

*

When Shikamaru and the others finally found Kakashi, Naruto and Sakura, the sun was high in the sky. Shikamaru, Ino, Neji, Kiba, Sai and some other Konoha shinobi silently stood around the dead body of Uchiha Sasuke. Naruto and Sakura have huddled around Kakashi. It was a long and hard night and Kakashi was glad to just hold them close. 

Shikamaru kneeled next to the members of Team 7. Should he say something or do something? He felt so frustrated and hestitated before quietly mumbling, “I am so sorry.” 

Fresh tears welled up in Sakura's eyes. “He felt remorse for his actions in the end. I think that he died in peace, because he was able to save Naruto’s life.” She buried her face in Naruto’s orange jacket and sobbed. “I wish he didn’t have to die!” Naruto pulled her closer and tried to stay strong, but as he looked behind Shikamaru, he saw Sai and Neji already working on sealing Sasuke’s body. His heart was aching. He lost his teammate and his friend, and it felt like a part of him just died as well. His throat was closing up. He couldn’t watch this. Of course, he knew the procedure. The body had to be brought back to the village for inspection and for the burial. Since Sasuke had been declared as a criminal there was a strict protocol that they had to follow. 

Shikamaru turned his head to follow Naruto’s gaze. “I am sorry, Naruto.” He wanted to say something… anything that might make his friend feel better. He had seen the bloodied and battered body of the Uchiha and he guessed that nothing would make this situation better. 

“It’s alright Shikamaru. I know the protocol… You have to seal his body. Sakura, we should say our goodbyes to Sasuke, right Kakashi?” 

Kakashi silently nodded. 

Shikamaru gestured to the others to step back and give Team 7 some space to say their goodbyes from their fallen memeber. They kneeled next to Sasuke’s body which looked oddly peaceful. His eyes were closed, and he almost looked like he was sleeping. There was no more anger twisting his face. There was no more hate twisting his beautiful features. They sat close to each other and held each other’s hands. 

“You were my first love, and I will never forget you.” Sakura whispered.

“You were my student, and I wish that I could have helped you more.” Kakashi quietly said.

Kakashi and Sakura looked at Naruto who was oddly quiet. Kakashi felt Naruto's hand shake in his and he understood how hard this must be for him. 

Naruto could feel all eyes on him. His team and Sai, Shikamaru and the other shinobi from Konoha were probably wondering what he would say, but speaking was really hard right now. He wished that he could have saved his friend. “I was always trying to get stronger, to catch up to you. You were my rival and my friend. I was unable to save you… I will never forget you Sasuke.” Tears ran down his cheeks and he had to stop often while speaking, because he just couldn’t get enough air into his lungs.

Shikamaru and the others were silent and watched them with sad and worried expressions. After they said their last goodbyes, Kakashi gestured to them that it was time to let Sai and Neji seal the body. They stepped back and watched as Shikamaru assisted the two shinobi. 

Sakura couldn’t watch and sobbed into Naruto’s jacket. Naruto tightly held onto Kakashi’s hand while he watched how Sasuke’s dead body was wrapped in sealing after sealing until his whole body was covered. His entire body was trembling in pain and shock. Maybe Sasuke had been right all those years ago. Maybe he had never really understood what it meant to lose someone – until now. Sasuke said that Naruto couldn’t possibly understand Sasuke’s pain because he had always been alone, but now he did.

Neji turned to Naruto and Kakashi. “We will inform the Hokage and take Uchiha Sasuke’s body back to the village.” They started to move away. Neji stopped after a few steps. “Naruto?” 

Naruto looked up into Neji’s bright lavender eyes. “I’m glad that you are ok. Everyone was worried. Shikamaru had us looking everywhere for you.” The blond looked surprised at his friends who were smiling at him with genuine relief on their faces. “Thank you, Neji. I will be… alright. Somehow.” Someday he would be alright again. But not today. Today was his birthday, the end of the war and the day he had lost his best friend. 

Shikamaru huffed and tried to not to be too formal about procedures because he knew that Naruto had just lost a teammate. He knew how important Sasuke was to him and he wished that he could make this situation easier, but he saw the Yondaime and Bee-san kneeling next to another presumably dead man and he needed to know what the hell was going on. He quickly pulled Naruto aside and worriedly looked at his friend. “Tell me exactly what happened. You look like shit. Sasuke is dead and over there are two more dead Uchiha. What the hell happened?! I know that this is hard for you. But I need to know that you are alright, Naruto.” The worry was clear in Shikamaru's voice when he squeezed Naruto’s shoulder. 

“I feel like shit. I have never felt this horrible before and I am so glad that you, Neji and everyone is here and that you are alright, 'tebayo…” he could feel the tears coming again. “Damn it… It’s just that Sasuke really came to help us, you know? Bee was killed when the Gedo statue took the Bijuu. I can’t tell you anything about that yet because I need to talk to the Bijuu first and get all the information, but the thing is; Gaara and I went to destroy it, Madara saw it and wanted to kill us. Sasuke saved us and… died.” 

Shikamaru listened and nervously shifted from one foot to the other. When he was listening to some Iwa-nin gossiping on the battlefield that Naruto had died and that Kakashi had reanimated him with a kiss of true love, Shikamaru couldn't help but laugh at that stupid story, but when he heard a similar story about Naruto dying, he felt anxious and he immediatly went looking for his friend. He dragged Ino, Kiba and Neji with him to find their missing friend. When they were close enough to feel Naruto’s dim Chakra everyone started smiling and raced towards their beloved blond village knucklehead.

“But if Bee-san died…” 

“Obito used his Rinne Tensei to save him.” Naruto quietly said. “I am so weak Shika. I almost wanted to ask him to use it to save Sasuke.” He started to sob. “I wanted to ask him… but Sasuke made me promise that… **how could he do that**?! He said that it would …” 

Shikamaru stepped forward and squeezed Naruto’s shoulders. He quickly took in all the information and put two and two together. “It might have incriminated you when the council nominates you for the Hokage seat. Sasuke _saved_ you. He saved the future of the village.” He patted the blond head. “If you had chosen a criminal over Bee-san, we might have another war with the Raikage.” Shikamaru groaned. “What a drag...Nobody said that being Hokage would be easy…”

***


	36. When everything is over - Intermezzo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When the war is over, peace will follow...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is an intermezzo that will close the angsty and tragic part of the story.  
> We will now start into the next phase of Kakashi's and Naruto's relationship.
> 
> Have fun sweethearts, as always;  
> Kakashi-Sensei is sexy, like a comment or a kudo :)

Neji left the scene and quickly raced over the battlefield to watch shinobi from Iwa, from Konoha and every other nation, break out in exhilarated celebration when they realized that the Gedo statue had been destroyed. The white Zetsus were fleeing the battlefield after their master had been killed. He tried not to worry too much right now what it could mean for their future that so many of those creatures were still alive and smiled about their victory. Neji had to hurry and find Tsunade-sama. He had to tell the Godaime that Madara had been killed and that they found Naruto. He left Shikamaru and Sai and several other Konoha shinobi with the blond to make sure that their friend would be safe just in case something might happen, but he saw the protectiveness in Kakashi-san’s eyes. Neji snickered. 

_So Ten-Ten had been right after all?_

Ten-Ten was really into shinobi gossip, and most of the time Lee and Neji had to listen to their teammate’s crazy stories and theories, but this time they proved to be right. He couldn’t believe that Naruto was actually the first of their group to have a relationship – with Kakashi-san nonetheless! He shouldn’t be so excited about this, but he couldn’t wait to tell Ten-Ten about this. He could hear her excited screaming already.

_Urg. I need to stop hanging out with Ten-Ten and Hinata-sama so much they got me all hyped for this gossip stuff._

More and more Zetsus fled and left the battlefield in a hurry. The victorious screams were getting louder and Neji had to slow down to make his way through the crowds of people. Some Konoha shinobi were loudly congratulating him while others enthusiastically clapped his shoulder or back. “You fought well, Hyuuga-san!” One shouted. "You kicked some asses today!" another called.  
“Neji!” Lee screamed and ran towards him. His teammate hugged him in his usual enthusiastic manner. “Neji, I am so glad that you are fine! I was looking for you and the others everywhere!” 

“Lee! Stop ist. Let go! You’ll get snot all over me.” 

“Forgive me Neji. The youthful energy of our friendship compelled me to make sure that you are alright! Who are you looking for, Neji?” 

“I need to find the Godaime. Shikamaru and the others are with Naruto and Kakashi-san… we need the Hokage. We have a … situation.” The Hyuuga tried to explain to his teammate without giving away too much information. It was a quite delicate situation, and he didn’t want all the people around them to listen. It seemed like Lee understood and nodded. 

“Yosh! I will help you find the Hokage. We have to bring Tsunade-sama to Naruto-kun?” 

“Yes. Shikamaru and the others are waiting.” With that the two tried to make their way as fast as they could through the crowds. 

*

Neji was glad when they finally found the blond woman on the periphery of the fields. She was sitting on the ground and other than her pale and tired complexion she looked fine. Neji quickly went closer to Tsunade but when he stood in front of the woman, he felt more than a little confused when he saw Orochimaru putting a bandage on Tsunade’s arm. 

“Ah! Neji, Lee! I heard cheering. Tell me that you are here with good news.” She looked at the two young men with a hopeful expression.

Neji quickly tried to find the right words, but seeing Orochimaru being so tender and careful with the Hokage was something that he would need to get used to. “Ah… Yes. I…” He blinked a few times. 

Orochimaru chuckled darkly. “I think that my presence may be confusing to your young shinobi, Tsunade. Maybe I should lea-“ 

“No. You will stay where I can keep my eyes on you, Orochimaru.” She tightly held onto his hand. “You promised.” Her eyes were full of insecurity. 

“Of course, Tsunade. I will just step away to give you and your shinobi a little privacy.” He gently squeezed her soft hand and got up from his spot next to her. He politely nodded to Neji and Lee, who bowed to the older Sannin.

True to his word Orochimaru stepped away only a few meters to give Tsunade, Neji and Lee a little more privacy but he could see clearly that the report didn’t only hold good news, because he could see that Tsunade’s smile turned into a worried frown. Her hand gracefully wandered to her forehead and started to massage her head. Tsunade’s eyes wandered from Neji, who was still talking and giving the Hokage a detailed report about what happened with Madara, to Orochimaru. Their eyes met and Orochimaru understood immediately. Sasuke was dead. He closed his eyes for a moment to let it sink in. He had feared that it would come to this. It would be Tsunade’s duty as Hokage to make sure that the protocols in such a case had all been fulfilled and since the line of the Uchiha had died with Sasuke, she would also be flooded with paperwork in the near future of how to proceed in the case of the end of a Kekkai Gekai. He could see how she waved at him and he slowly walked back to her. 

“Tsunade-hime?” He carefully asked. 

“Orochimaru… We have to go and find Naruto. Sasuke is dead, like we feared.” 

The Sannin nodded and reached for Tsunade’s hand to help her up. “I see, let me assist you Tsunade.” She leaned heavily against his side and he realized how tired she must be after this war. She turned to the young Hyuuga shinobi. “Neji, lead the way. We will follow you.” 

Neji bowed to the Hokage and quickly they made their way back to Naruto and Kakashi. 

*

Kakashi was glad that Gaara took care of Sakura. Something must have happened between the young Kaze Kage and Sakura during the war. He would have to ask her when they got back to Konoha. He had been so preoccupied with his worries about Naruto, the Bijuu and Obito that he couldn’t pay much more attention to anything else around him. It seemed though that Gaara had a good connection to Sakura, because she didn’t cry that much anymore and whatever Gaara was telling her seemed to calm her and she nodded as she leaned her head against his shoulder. 

_A moment to breath._ _  
_ _A moment to take a break._

He turned around and looked at Naruto who slowly walked back towards him after he had another conversation with Shikamaru. He looked a little better and the color had returned to his face. His eyes were still red and puffy from crying but it seemed that whatever Shikamaru had told Naruto also had a calming effect on the blond. 

Naruto walked back to Kakashi who had been sitting on the ground for some time, arms propped up against his knees. He looked at his lover and heavily dropped down next down to him. He stared ahead not really focusing on anything. 

Kakashi turned his head to watch Naruto, carefully looking for any signs of exhaustion that might take over. His wild blond hair was blowing in the wind and he could see that his beloved constantly fought against the deep sadness that had settled in his body. Kakashi carefully reached out for Naruto. “Naruto…” he whispered. His hand touched Naruto’s shoulder. 

As soon as Naruto could feel Kakashi’s touch he fell into Kakashi’s arms. “I am so sorry for what I said. I am so sorry how I reacted before I went to the Gedo statue with Gaara. I was just so frustrated with everything. I know you care about me and that you worry about and…” He sniffed. “I don’t want you to be angry with me. I am stupid and I don’t know what to do with – “ he looked up into Kakashi’s stormy grey eye. The Jonin had pulled his Hitai-ate back over his Sharingan. Naruto looked into Kakashi’s tender and loving face. “-us. I have no idea how this works! Dattebayo! But… I am so glad that you are alright. That you are alive and I don’t want to miss a single second of this life where I could be telling you how much you mean to me, ‘tebayo!” Kakashi pulled Naruto into a tight embrace against his chest. Naruto’s soft whimpering noises were drowned in the harsh fabric of Kakashi’s green flak jacket. He wrapped his arms around Kakashi and let his hands rest against his lover's back. 

“Me too. I wasn’t angry with you, Naruto. I just hate being separated from you and you are right about something,… I worry about you. Constantly. I can’t help it. I love you.” 

Naruto blushed and buried his face deeper in Kakashi’s chest. “I love you too, Bakakashi.” He dug his fingers in the green material and gently rubbed his cheek against the jacket. He loved being so close to Kakashi. He could feel Kakashi’s arms around him and one of his big warm hands started brushing through his hair. 

“I thought that my heart might stop when Kurama was extracted from you. When I held you in my arms at that time, I thought that I had lost you forever.” He pulled Naruto closer. “But you are so warm now.” Naruto could feel how Kakashi nuzzled his masked face into his hair. He closed his eyes and enjoyed their closeness for a moment. “I don’t think I could live without you, Naruto.” 

Naruto gently hit Kakashi’s back where his fingers dug into the jacket. “Don’t say stuff like that. Remember our promise: We’ll go home together! Dattebayo!” He pulled away from Kakashi slightly. His hand reached for Kakashi’s face and gently touched the cheek that was tightly covered by his mask. “Let us stop talking about death please." His face was crunched up in pain. Clearly thinking about the friend he just lost. "Let us start talking about our future now.” 

“Let's do that, my love.” Kakashi knew that Naruto was still sad and frankly speaking so was he. He had not only lost a student, but he had lost his teammate for a second time today and this was all a bit much for him but having Naruto so close and listening to him talk about their future was helping him. He nodded weakly and reached for Naruto again to pull him closer. 

Naruto understood Kakashi’s need to be close right now. He felt the same. All he wanted to do right now was cry like that time when Ero-Sennin had died. He felt such deep sadness on that day, like never before and the same sadness was settling in his body right now again. He remembered when Iruka-Sensei and Shikamaru came to talk to him on that day. It had helped him back than, but right now he didn’t need the hug of a friend or the nice words of a teammate. He needed to be wrapped in Kakashi’s safe and loving embrace. He needed Kakashi’s words and Kakashi’s touch, and he wanted Kakashi to need him just as much. He tenderly brushed through the silver hair and looked at his lover. “I just want you to hold me in your arms… Don't let go.” He leaned his forehead against Kakashi. Naruto’s blue eyes were intensely gazing into his own. "Just be with me." Kakashi felt his heart race. 

“Alright.” Kakashi whispered. Naruto’s hand felt so warm against his mask. He closed his eye. As he was reflecting on the last few weeks and months, he realized that this was the first moment they spent together were no enemy was trying to kill them and they could simply be with each other.

“Kakashi, I want you to lean against me if you’re sad. I want you to tell me everything.” Naruto said quietly, so only Kakashi would hear it. He didn’t want anyone to disturb their private conversation. “We both lost a friend and a teammate today. But we have each other, and I know that you tend to bury your feelings very easily, but I want you to know that you don’t have to do that with me, ‘tebayo, because we are together, right? You can tell me everything and I will be there with you. I love you. Couples work like teams, ne? We take care of each other, protect each other – Maaa why are you laughing now? Bakakashi! I was very serious right now!!”

Kakashi was actually laughing as he pulled his adorable lover into a tight embrace again. He could feel how their friends were watching them, but he didn’t care. Light giggles escaped him, and he let himself fall back onto the ground. He pulled Naruto on top of his body and tightly pressed the blond against his chest. “Because you are right. That’s how we work, and I love you too. I am so glad to have you by my side.” 

“Are you mad now? Because I ought to know about that before you take me on that date!” Naruto giggled when he rolled on top of Kakashi. “Of course I’m by your side. Dattebayo! And you won't get rid of me. Someone has to make sure that your life gets a little excitement other than those porns you read all the time! Also, I think that someone REALLY has to take care of you, because I live with you and I have never seen anyone as lazy as you, Kakashi.” 

"Maaah. Naru-chan, being so lewd again. What could you possible mean with 'more excitment than the porns I read'?" Kakashi chuckled when he watched how Naruto's cheeks blushed. The blond started to stutter but he was interupted when loud laughter broke out all around them. When Naruto looked up, he was confronted with the amused faces of Sakura, Gaara, Minato, and his other friends that had stayed behind to wait until Neji was back with Tsunade. Minato shook his head in an amused manner. “Kakashi, you should really at least _TRY_ to behave, and I am shocked to hear that you are _still_ reading those books, at your age and when you are in a very.serious. _COMMITED_ relationship on top of that.” 

“Maa, I’m sorry Sensei...” Kakashi started sweating when Minato stared at him.

*

Sakura was glad that Gaara stayed with her and that the heavy sadness of the situation was getting lifted a little bit with Kakashi-Sensei’s and Naruto’s love bickering. She was glad to see Naruto so lively, even if she was sure that Naruto was deeply hurt and just played it over with his laughter. She knew that they would have enough time to process their loss and their sadness. It wouldn’t disappear overnight, Sasuke's death would hurt her for a very long time, but she was certain that with the help of her friends she would be able to get over this pain as well.

She was very surprised about the gentle and tender side she witnessed in Gaara. The Kaze Kage had been so kind to her. His arm was still around her shoulder and she leaned against his side. He was so warm, and she realized that she hadn’t felt like this in the presence of a man in a very long time. She had been so in love with the raven haired Uchiha for as long as she could remeber and there had never been another man on her mind. All she had ever got from loving Sasuke was his cruelty.

Lee and Naruto had asked her out so many times when they were younger and looking back on it now she wished that she had given them at least a chance because maybe she could have been happy too and maybe her excperiences with love and men wouldn't be so painful. Naruto was in a relationship now and Lee stopped asking her when he realized that Sakura would never go out with anyone other than Sasuke.

When she watched Naruto and Kakashi roll around on the ground she even felt a light giggle escape her. Yes, her heart was aching for Sasuke, but she felt happy that her friends were alive and that Sasuke had indeed felt remorse in the end. He had come back to them. They had been able to put aside old grievances. She felt a sense of peace come over her. She could feel Gaara’s warm hand gently move over her back. Maybe she had found a new friend today. Maybe she was allowed some happiness too? Sakura turned her head to look at Gaara’s dark eyes. She smiled at him. “Thank you for helping me so much.” 

“Ah… That was,… I hope I was able to help you a little bit.” He stammered shyly. 

She giggled. She wasn’t used to seeing him like this. She was used to seeing the strong, confident Kaze Kage of Suna, but right now he was just another man who was slightly embarrassed. When she was much younger, she had been afraid of Gaara, but Naruto had befriended the redhead and her perception of Gaara had changed as well. She was sure that the Kaze Kage was very closed off and serious, but now that they had fought side by side in this war and she had been able to spend a little time with the young man, she had been able to see another side of him. He was a very gentle and silent soul. He cared deeply for Naruto and he would do anything to protect his friend. He also cared deeply for his siblings. When he was trying to console Sakura, he was talking about his sister and how Temari had always taken care of him, when he was a child. 

“You did. Thank you. I want to thank you for saving and protecting Naruto too. I don’t know what I would have done if I lost both of my teammates today. Naruto is very important to me.” 

“He is important to me as well. He is my friend. I am very sorry for your loss. Will you be alright?” He quietly asked her and pulled his arm away from the pink haired woman. They sat next to each other and watched Kakashi and Naruto who started a little debate with the Yondaime. Sakura had to giggle. It seemed like the three men had fun. She could hear Naruto’s brilliant laughter and Kakashi’s groan when the Yondaime was talking animatedly to them. He gestured widely and Sakura could see how Kakashi bowed deeply in front of his old Sensei, blushing madly while Naruto giggled sweetly at them both, while trying to hide his face in his hands.

“I will be fine eventually. I always knew that Sasuke was lost to us. I knew it from the moment he killed Itachi and I knew it when he killed those Samurai at the Kage conference he attacked last winter. I knew it when Shikamaru told us that the council decided on a verdict against Sasuke. I was always more worried about Naruto and how he would take it.” Her eyes started to tear up again. She could feel a small tear run down her cheek as she watched her blond teammate, who hung from Kakashi’s neck. A sweet smile danced over his lips. “He’s just too precious for this world. He wants to save everyone, but he can’t do that, you know?” 

Gaara reached for her hand. They held onto each other. “I know. Naruto is just that way. Kakashi-san will take care of him, but what about you? Will you be ok?” Gaara asked again. 

Sakura was a little confused. “I… Of course… I – “ She coughed and let go of Gaara’s hand. She wiped the tears from her face. “I just need some time. I will be alright.” 

Gaara gently smiled at the woman. He could see that she tried to be strong. “If you decide that time isn’t enough, you can always come to Suna. Sometimes distance can heal invisible wounds as well.” Gaara slowly got up from his spot next to Sakura. She stared at the Kaze Kage. “Excuse me for a moment. I need to talk with Bee-san. I am worried about how he’s doing. He might still be in shock after losing the Hachibi.” 

“Of course. Thank you Gaara.” She bowed in respect to the young Kaze Kage who slowly made his way towards Bee-san. She went through the conversation with Gaara again and she was suddenly highly aware that Gaara had told her that she could come to stay in Suna anytime she wanted. What was going on?! She felt how her heart started to race and at the same time she felt guilty about being so happy about Gaara’s invitation because Sasuke had just died protecting them all. A horrible headache started, and she groaned. She needed to talk to someone. She looked around and her eyes thankfully found Ino, who had come with Shikamaru. She hadn’t even registered that Ino was here too, she was to immerse in her own grief. She quickly got up and hurried over to her friend. 

*

While Kakashi, Naruto and Minato were bickering around, Neji, Tsunade and Orochimaru were almost back at the scene where everyone had gathered. In the meantime Sai and Shikamaru with Ino’s help had also been successful in sealing the body of the last Uchiha. Sai and Shikamaru had laid the three bodies side by side and waited now for the arrival of the Hokage to follow further instructions. Shikamaru, Sai Ino and Kiba were standing guard over the sealed corpses when Sakura came over to them and pulled on Ino’s hand. “I need to talk to you. Right now.” She urged her to come with her. Ino looked at her friends who nodded and the blond woman simply went with her friend. 

Before anyone said anything, they hugged each other for a very long moment. They silently stood like that for a long moment, simply enjoying the safety and the knowledge that their friend was alright and alive. Sakura pulled away and smiled sadly at Ino. 

“I guess I shouldn’t ask ‘how are you?’, but I want to know how you feel.” Ino said and gently touched her friends arm. She was so happy to see Sakura. She had been terribly afraid to lose her best friend in this war. The two women stood close to each other and took each others hands to reassure each other that they were still here together; alive and well. They didn't need words. Just a small touch and Ino knew that her friend felt the same.

“I don’t know what to feel. I just wish that he didn’t have to die, you know? I just hope that Sasuke-kun will find some peace now. He was always so full of hate, but I guess Itachi’s death really changed him. I am so confused right now Ino. I am so sad because of Sasuke… but to be honest I haven’t loved him in a very long time and then there is something else…” 

Ino’s brow went up and she chuckled. “Hehe, could it be that we are talking about the way the Kaze Kage is looking at you?”

Sakura blushed. “WHAT?” She whispered heatedly. “Looking at me? Who's looking?!” 

“Please, it’s so obvious that he likes you. The way he held you and everything?! Do you like him?” 

Sakura blushed furiously and carefully turned her head to look at Gaara who was in a deep conversation with Bee-san. Suddenly the redhead looked into her direction and she could see a soft blush on his cheeks. She quickly turned away again and clenched her sweaty trembling fists. “I don’t know. I don’t know anything right now. We just lost Sasuke and I can’t…” She could feel how her face heated up under Gaara’s gaze.

Ino touched her shoulder and gently squeezed. “I know. I understand. But you always ran after Sasuke, you did everything just for Sasuke. You need to think about yourself now, because you need to heal as well. Alright?” A soft and caring smile was making Ino’s face glow and Sakura hugged her.

“Yes. I will.” She sniffed and let Ino pull her closer.

Ino's arms wrapped around her trembling body. Sakura buried her face in Ino's neck. Her soft hands gently moved over Sakura's heaving back. "I know I have not been a very good friend to you in the past few years... I should have been there for you more. I was a stupid child that was jealous because you were in Sasuke's team... But, Sakura I promise that never again a man will come between us. You are my best friend and that's forever you know? You mean more to me than some guy."

"Ino..." Sakura didn't know what she was supposed to say. She looked into Ino's eyes and felt a real smile dance over her face. They fell into each others arms. "You have always been my best friend. That never changed Ino. It's forever." They giggled happily for a moment.

“There is something else, you know....Gaara asked me to come to Suna if I felt the need for distance to heal.” Sakura whispered. She was to embarrassed and she was afraid that one of their friends could listen to them.

Ino pushed Sakura away to gape at her with wide blown eyes. After a moment to collect herself a huge dirty grin danced over her lips. “Oho! Sakura! Well, well and what did you say?” 

Sakura blushed. “I haven’t answered yet. I needed to talk to someone!!” She hissed at her friend. 

Ino giggled. “This is **huge** Sakura! – “ Ino grinned at her friend. “He totally flirted with you. Good for you, a flirt is exactly what you need to get over this. You should go to Suna. Come on we will go to the Kaze Kage right now and tell him immediately that you would **love** to stay in Suna.” Ino started to drag Sakura over to the Kaze Kage who was still discussing matters with Bee-san. Everyone watched transfixed as Ino happily dragged a grumbling Sakura behind her towards Gaara. 

Kakashi and Naruto stopped their conversations. “What are they doing?” Naruto asked confused. He had his arms wrapped around Kakashi’s body and watched with an adorable, confused pout as his teammate stumbled behind Ino towards Gaara. Kakashi chuckled. 

_So, I was right about Gaara and Sakura._ The Jonin thought. He was happy for his student. Gaara was a kind, brave, honest and loyal young man – exactly the right person for Sakura. He may be a little gloomy sometimes, but he was a good leader to his village, he was a very loyal friend to Naruto, and Naruto always spoke very highly of him and he would never hurt those who are important to him. 

“I will tell you later, my love.” When Naruto pouted at him Kakashi could only laugh. He nuzzled his face into the wild blond hair. “I promise I will tell you later.” 

“Ok.” Naruto said in his usual happy tone.

*

Tsunade took in the scene for a moment before her feet carried her to Naruto. “Naruto!” She was so happy to see the blond alive and well, that she barely registered that the Yondaime was close to the couple. She grabbed Naruto and hugged her favorite little knucklehead shinobi. 

“Mah! Baa-chan I am alright! I promise I wasn’t stupid or anything.” But even though he was protesting Minato and Kakashi could see how he tenderly wrapped his arms around Tsunade to hug her as well. “Tsunade-baa-chan are you alright too? Did anything bad happen to you?”

Tsunade could practically feel her heart melt at the innocent voice of her little Gaki when he asked her if she was alright. She ruffled his hair. “I am alright, just a little beaten up. Madara really was hard on all of us. The Raikage almost died – “She finally looked around and saw Bee-san in a distance with Gaara. “I am glad to see Bee-san is alright. The Raikage will be very relieved to see his brother out of danger now.” Her hand gently touched Naruto’s cheek. She could still see deep cuts all over his body and blood smeared on his cheeks, but other than that he was unharmed. A sudden change came over Naruto’s face.

“The Raikage would have been devastated if something had happened to Bee right?” 

Tsunade stared at Naruto. Neji had not been able to tell her everything in detail, but she was aware that Obito had died, when he used the _Rinne Tensei_ to bring back Bee-san. She could see how much the circumstances of Sasuke’s death hurt and plagued Naruto’s mind. When Minato stepped closer to Naruto, Tsunade just became aware that the Yondaime was actually here as well. She had been too focused on making sure that her Gaki was fine. “Minato-san!” She yelped surprised. 

“Hello, Tsunade-sama.” The Edo Tensei truly was a cruel and mysterious Jutsu. Minato’s reanimation looked just as young and vital as on the day he had died. She couldn’t believe it. She shook her head and concentrated back on Naruto. “Naruto… I don’t know the whole story, but I want to tell you that there was nothing that you could have done to prevent any of this. I hope you know this and I want you to know that you made the right decision.” She gently patted the blond head. 

Naruto sniffed and pulled away from the Godaime. “That’s what everyone is telling me, but it’s not that simple, is it? Sasuke is dead.” 

Minato, Kakashi and Tsunade looked intently at the young shinobi. Kakashi took Naruto’s hand. “Yes...He is and you are right, nothing will change that, we are shinobi and we always have to live with the decisions that we make. When you are Hokage one day, you will realize that the decisions you make will have even more weight and will be even more meaningful, because they will have an impact on you, your friends, your loved ones, the village and maybe even the five nations. Sasuke was right, you always have to see the bigger picture.” 

Tsunade and Minato nodded weakly. Both Kage understood the pain of letting go of someone dear or losing someone they loved to save the village. Minato had even given his own life to save and to protect the village. Tsunade still felt the pain of losing her lover, her brother and Jiraiya like it was just yesterday. There was no shortcut or easy way to become the Hokage. Naruto just had to learn it the hard way.

“We know how you feel Naruto.” Minato quietly said and touched his arm. 

“I know you do.” Naruto answered and a silent tear ran down his cheek.

*

Everyone could see the intense emotional moment between Naruto, Kakashi and the two Kage. Nobody wished to disturb them so they tried to keep a polite distance and give the little group as much privacy as possible. 

“What do you think they are talking about? Looks like it’s an intense conversation.” Lee said and turned back to Neji. 

“Hm. I think they are still discussing Sasuke.” Neji huffed. 

“To be honest with you I am glad that this finally has come to an end.” Kiba groaned. “I never liked him, and it was getting tedious… always running after him. Sakura’s breakdowns, Naruto was constantly on the edge because of Sasuke….” 

“How can you say that?! He was their teammate! He was one of us! He was a Konoha shinobi!” Lee yelled at Kiba. 

Shikamaru had been waiting for this kind of conflict for the longest time. He swallowed. Maybe this was their way of working through the grief? Maybe he should stop it. 

“Teammate?! Are you mad? He tried to kill Naruto so many times! Have you forgotten how many times we had to intervene?! _Naruto is supposed to be our Hokage one day!_ That asshole almost killed him! You should be glad that Sasuke’s dead.” Kiba growled and Shikamaru could feel the heat of the conflict rise. He clenched his fists and was getting ready to jump into this discussion. He was also worried if Naruto or Sakura heard anything about this discussion.

“You should calm yourself, Kiba!” Neji stepped between Kiba and Lee and with one serious look he was able to silence the angry Inuzuka. Akamaru barked a few times but even Kiba’s dog calmed down after a few moments. “I know what you mean Kiba, and I feel the same in all aspects concerning Naruto. We were all present at the last council meeting - “ He looked into the faces of Shikamaru and Kiba. “We know how the Nara, Inuzuka, Hyuuga, Akimichi and the other clans feel about Naruto. So, I understand your protectiveness about him, Kiba. You don’t have to question that in any of us and I think that any of us would have acted the same way Sasuke did today to protect Naruto. I think that we all can agree on that, but it is still a fact that Team 7 has lost a teammate today and Sakura and Naruto are grieving. No matter what had happened between Sasuke and Team 7 or the village,… A life ended today and Sasuke was indeed a Konoha shinobi. A shinobi, who _died_ protecting _our future Hokage,_ … We should honor that sacrifice. I think Lee is right on this; Sasuke was one of us, even if he followed a violent path and decided to leave the village… _we are always Konoha shinobi, one tree, many leaves._ Isn’t that what the Sandaime always used to say?” It seemed like his gentle voice and his words had a soothing effect on the men around him. Shikamaru watched the Hyuuga and smiled thankfully. He was glad that Neji was always so thoughtful. He couldn’t have said it any better. 

Kiba looked down on the ground and shifted from one foot to the other. He bit his lip and groaned slightly annoyed. “Yeah. That’s what the old man used to say. You are very annoying Neji.” 

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” Neji shrugged and chuckled.

They all sat down and watched Naruto who was still surrounded by Kakashi, Tsunade and Minato. They could see them discussing and it was obvious now that their debate was about Sasuke and Obito because sometimes they could see Naruto’s lips form the words Uchiha. Neji and Shikamaru looked at each other knowingly. 

“What a drag.” Shikamaru huffed and laid back down. At least he could watch the clouds now. 

***


	37. A new Sage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Yondaime smiled into the faces of his son and his student. “Be good to each other.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So much love in this chapter.  
> sexy times and lots of fun with Kurama <3 
> 
> I was listening to //Karano Kokoro by Anly// while writing this Chapter <3 
> 
> Have fun sweethearts!

Tsunade made sure that Neji, Sai, Shikamaru and a few others took the bodies of the deceased Uchiha back to Konoha. While the others would travel back in small groups to make sure that no one would have to travel alone or would be left behind. She also made sure that no one who was critically injured would have to travel without being healed first. There was much she had to deal with before they could send everyone home. 

It was important to her to send Naruto and Kakashi back to Konoha as soon as possible because she could clearly see the exhaustion on their faces. “You two, Kakashi, Naruto, you two should really go back home soon. Orochimaru will help me take care of things around here. I would feel better if you were to head back to the village now and get some sleep.” She said. 

Kakashi could feel a deep sense of relief when he heard Tsunade’s words. He had hoped to be allowed to leave the battlefield soon and take Naruto back home, but he could see a certain reluctance in Naruto’s eyes though. “What’s wrong Naruto?” 

“What about my Dad? What about the Edo Tensei?” 

Orochimaru, who had lingered in the back, not to disturb Tsunade too much, coughed quietly to make them look at him. “I am afraid that I will have to release the Edo Tensei soon, which will of course make the Yondaime leave this place. If you wish to say your goodbyes? I can wait for a few moments until I release it, Naruto-kun.” 

“Thank you, Orochimaru-san. I would appreciate a few more moments with my son.” Minato smiled and reached for Naruto’s hands. The Sannin nodded and got ready to release the Edo Tensei. He put his palms together and concentrated his Chakra. It would take a few minutes anyway until he was ready to release it, better to get ready now. His fingers started to move through the hand signs. 

Naruto hurried to wrap his arms around his Dad. “Naruto, I am so happy that I was able to see you and to be with you at least for this short amount of time. I was able to hold you in my arms and when I’m reunited with your mother I will have so much to tell her! I will tell her that you have grown up and that you are alright and that you are with Kakashi now. Haha, she will like that. I am sure.” His hands brushed through the soft blond hair. Minato smiled at his son and gently wiped away some tears that ran down Naruto’s cheeks. “Don’t cry. I want you to be happy. Every day of your life, I only want you to smile and be happy with Kakashi and all your friends, because that’s what parents wish for their children.” His body started glowing and Minato knew that it would be time for their goodbyes now. Minato quickly turned to Kakashi. “Be good to him. You have to promise me. Take care of yourself and stop being gloomy all the time. Life is short and I wish you would smile and laugh some more Kakashi. It’s good for you.” 

“Yes, Sensei.” Kakashi said and respectfully bowed before Minato. “I promise! I want to thank you Minato-Sensei for your help. I never thanked you and Kushina-san enough for everything that you did for me… and that you simply accepted me as Naruto’s partner means so much to me. I will never leave him. Please tell Kushina-san that Naruto is my whole world and that I will always protect, what is most precious to her.”

Minato smiled at his dear student and patted his head. “I will tell Kushina.” He looked down at his precious son and let his hands feel the soft blond hair for the last time. He looked into the face that was so much like Kushina’s. “Naruto, I want you to know that your parents love you so much, even if we are not with you anymore – you are so loved, my child.” 

“Dad, I love you too! Tell mom that I love her too. She’s awesome ‘tebayo and I always think about you two. I promise I’ll take good care of Kakashi –“ 

“Mah, shouldn’t I be the one saying that?” Kakashi grumbled from behind Naruto.

The Yondaime smiled into the faces of his son and his student. “Be good to each other.” Kakashi could see how Naruto started trembling under emotional stress. He watched as Minato’s body was glowing and he was sure that Minato-Sensei would leave them soon. He could see how the reanimated body started to decay slowly. 

Naruto started sobbing against Minato’s chest. He wished that his father didn’t have to go, but he understood that it was impossible. In the background the blond could hear Orochimaru’s dark voice as he called “Release!” which made him aware that the Jutsu was over and the time that he was granted with his father was now over. 

“Dad!” he looked into the gentle face of the Yondaime. 

“My consciousness is slipping away. The Jutsu has been released. I have to leave you Naruto.” 

Naruto quickly wiped away his tears and smiled at his father. “When you see Mom again would you tell her that I am fine and that she doesn’t need to worry? I was able to meet her once in the seal …” Minato listened fondly to the ramblings of his son and nodded. Naruto quickly continued. There was so much that he wanted to tell his father. “I try to eat healthy, but Ramen is the best. Kakashi is really good at cooking, so she doesn’t need to worry about that… I have some very good friends and I love them all, ‘tebayo!” Minato listened to every word that Naruto said and all those feelings started to return to his empty chest. The sadness that he wasn’t able to stay with his son, the anger that they had been separated too soon, the wish that his child had a good life and the hope that Naruto would be alright, that Kakashi would love and cherish him and that they would have a long and happy life together. Because what else could a parent wish for? “Mom wanted me to be careful about women and to find someone as cool as her, but … I love Kakashi and I really want to be with him like … forever! I think that Kakashi is pretty cool so I hope that Mom will approve.” Kakashi was sure that he couldn’t blush much more, but he felt like his face was turning all shades of red as Naruto talked to his Sensei about him. 

“I will tell your mother everything... Naruto.” Minato’s smiled when his body sagged against Naruto’s and the blond watched heartbroken how Minato’s body started to dissolve in his hands. The glowing stopped and the body fell apart in Naruto’s hands. The blond started to sob pitiful when Minato’s soft voice was carried away just like the rest of this cruel Jutsu that was tearing his heart apart.

*

Kakashi kneeled next to his beloved and held him tightly in his arms. He had calmed down already but he had to admit that it was hard for him too to watch Minato ‘die’ again. Naruto had curled up in his arms and Kakashi could feel how the exhaustion made Naruto’s body heavy. If he fell asleep now, getting home would be tricky. He really wished he could let his precious blond sleep, but they should try to get back home tonight. He heaved Naruto into his arms, and he realized that Naruto was out cold. The blond had not only fallen asleep, but he had completely passed out. The long fight, the extraction of the Kyuubi and the emotional trauma of losing Sasuke and his father must have really taken a toll on the young shinobi. Kakashi looked at the soft sleeping face and wondered what he should do now, but before he could do anything the group of Konoha shinobi were disrupted by loud grumbling. The Bijuu had gathered around them and looked down on Kakashi and the others. Kurama put his huge orange paw close to Kakashi which made the man stop in his movements. 

“Yo. Hatake-brat. You need to get back to Konoha?” 

Tsunade, Orochimaru, Neji, Shikamaru and the others nervously looked from the massive fox to Kakashi, waiting for his reaction. Shikamaru gaped when he watched Kakashi’s relatively calm reaction as the huge Bijuu started talking to him.

“Well… Yes, I guess I do. Naruto is out… Why?” Kakashi held his precious charge in his arms and carefully eyed the fox. Naruto had told him that Kurama and the other Bijuu were kind and good creatures and that he had even conversed with the Kyuubi sometimes. He would try to keep an open mind and talk to the Kyuubi. 

“I will take you back to the village.” The fox grumbled before he looked at the Hokage. “Tsunade-sama.” 

The Hokage jumped and yelped at the deep rumbling voice of the Kyuubi. “Y-yes?!” 

“We, the Bijuu, have decided that we will stay with Naruto. A part of my Chakra will always stay sealed within Naruto now. We will follow him to Konoha.” With that Kurama gestured to Kakashi that he should move on top of him so he could carry the copy nin and Naruto back to the village. 

“What? Stay with Naruto? As in... stay in Konoha?” Tsunade felt overwhelmed as she watched the Kyuubi and the other Bijuu slowly trot away towards Konoha. “What is going on?!” She sagged against Orochimaru who chuckled amusedly. 

“Seems like your zoo is getting bigger Tsunade-Hime.” The Sannin grinned. “This is getting interesting. I am glad I decided to return to the village.”

*

Kakashi had to admit that traveling like this was definitely something he could get used to. Kurama’s fur was warm and soft and he kept Naruto close to him while the huge fox slowly made his way through the warm climate of the desert. He had pulled his mask down and let the wind brush against his skin. The war was over and he could finally breathe again and relax for a moment. He could understand Naruto’s tiredness, he felt exhausted as well. 

“Hatake Kakashi.” 

“Ah, Yes, Kurama-san?” He answered politely. 

“Is he alright? Naruto… Is he alright?” 

Kakashi could hear the worry in the ancient creatures’ voice and he smiled. “He will be fine. He's asleep now.” 

“Good.” 

Kakashi curled his body around his beloved and before he fell asleep, he could hear the soft chuckles of the Bijuu who huddled around Kurama. 

“You are so soft Kurama.”

“Are you glad that your little one is alright Kurama?” 

“Yes… I am glad.” He could hear Kurama grumble. 

The huge body of the Kyuubi was gracefully moving towards the fire country, and large steps were taking them closer back home - towards Konoha. 

Kakashi’s mind was drifting between sleep and being awake for a few moments. He was surrounded by Naruto’s scent and all he could feel was Kurama’s soft fur and Naruto’s warmth that was seeping into his bones. Kakashi smiled and fell asleep with his arms tightly around Naruto’s body. 

*

The sun was tickling his nose and he yawned. He tried to stretch his arms and legs but he couldn’t move which made him panic for a second before he realized that someone was curled around his body. He looked down and saw that Kakashi had his arms wrapped around his torso. His face was buried in Naruto’s neck and he realized that the older man was also deep asleep. 

_Kakashi must be really tired._

He smiled and softly pulled one arm from Kakashi’s tight grip so he could softly brush his hands through the soft silver hair. The gentle touch made his lover press his body even closer. Naruto blushed. He felt that their legs were entangled, and he tried to turn his chest towards Kakashi. 

The silver haired man groaned for a second when he felt his beloved move around and pull away from him, but only or a second, because soon he could feel Naruto press against his body. Naruto’s leg wrapped around his and their hips were pressed together. Kakashi opened his eyes and he looked directly into Naruto’s beautiful blue eyes. 

“Did I wake you?” The young shinobi asked. 

“Maybe, but waking up to this is worth it.” 

“What do you mean?” 

“You.” 

“That’s so… You are such a…” Naruto stuttered. Kakashi’s mask was still loosely hanging around his neck and Naruto could see Kakashi’s handsome face. His crooked smile as he looked at Naruto. His stormy grey eye. His perfectly formed nose. The pale cheeks. The mole under his lips. His lips…  
Naruto groaned and buried his face in his hands. “You shouldn’t look at me like that.” 

Kakashi chuckled at his cute little lover. “Like what?” His arms wrapped around Naruto’s body and pulled the young man closer. His hands gently wandered over Naruto’s back and his sides. 

Naruto embarrassedly peaked through his fingers. “Like that!” _What am I saying!? Of course I want him to look at me like that! Oh my god. I can’t believe he is looking at me like that. Is he going to kiss me? Kiss me please. I am going crazy over here. Do something!_

Kakashi took his sweet time and let his hands move over Naruto’s back, his shoulders, his neck. He brushed through the wild blond hair and pulled the blond on top of him. “Are you sure that you don’t want me to look at you like that?” His hand slowly moved down towards Naruto’s hips. He could feel a soft tremble go through Naruto’s body. The blond shifted and wriggled around for a moment and finally moved to straddle Kakashi’s hips. Their heated glances met. 

Naruto wiggled on top of Kakashi and after he straddled Kakashi he moved his hands on Kakashi’s chest. Who was he kidding? He was 18 and his sex drive was going wild. His hormones were running wild since the moment Kakashi had first kissed him and all he could be thinking about was getting laid – as soon as possible! He wanted Kakashi so much it hurt! He looked into Kakashi’s grey eye and bit his lip as he rubbed his body against Kakashi. Oh god he couldn’t hold back that moan. “No… I lied. I want you to look at me like that.” His hands reached for Kakashi’s face and he tenderly caressed the pale cheeks. “I want you to only look at me, Kakashi.” He pulled Kakashi closer and finally their lips melted together in a hot and passionate kiss. 

Kakashi moaned against Naruto’s kiss. His hands wandered over the strong muscles that he could feel through Naruto’s orange jacket. His fingers could feel a little skin where the jacket had lifted a little bit and he started to pull the orange material up a little bit more to reveal more of that golden skin. While his tongue rubbed against Naruto’s eager one he could feel how his lover wriggled on top of his body. 

_This is killing me. I want him so much. Fuck!_

Kakashi’s hands gripped Naruto’s hips and pushed his own hips against Naruto’s. “Naruto.” He moaned against Naruto’s sweet lips. They were pink and swollen from the kiss and he had never seen anything so tempting in his life. He could hear Naruto’s quick breath against his own lips and he tried to regain his composure especially when he felt Naruto’s hips rub against his. That was definitely a hard on. “Fuck Naruto, we need to stop.” He moaned and let his head fall back against the soft orange fur. 

Naruto was completely intoxicated with Kakashi’s kiss and his hands that were moving over his ass. Was he really talking about stopping? He was just getting started. He couldn’t even think straight anymore. His head was slightly spinning. “What?” He whispered as he pressed another kiss against Kakashi’s lips. His man tasted so good. Another loud moan left his lips. 

Kakashi’s eyes rolled into the back of his head when Naruto spread his legs on top of him and rubbed his body eagerly against Kakashi’s. This must be torture. He squeezed Naruto’s plum ass cheeks in his hands and devoured the sweet mouth. Kakashi knew that he should probably stop right now, but when he sucked Naruto's sweet lips and his tongue which made the blond in his arms tremble with lust he just couldn’t. He couldn’t pull away. Naruto moaned his name so sweetly when he turned them around and eagerly rolled on top of Naruto. “Kakashi, Ah!” Naruto pulled him back in his arms and kissed him again. And again. He had completely forgotten where he was until he heard a loud deep angry grumble. 

“EXCUSE ME?!” Kurama yelled. 

“Waaah?!” Naruto pushed Kakashi off him. “What… what is going on?” The blond looked horrified for a moment.

“I was trying to tell you actually, but you were kissing me and I really can’t concentrate that much when your cute little ass is –“ 

“Maaaahhh Kakashi, don’t be a pervert!” Naruto yelled. 

“AS I RECALL YOU WERE A PERVERT TOO, you little shit!” Kurama yelled. “If you considered doing it on top of me, Hatake-brat I promise you, I would have eaten you as a snack.”

Kakashi gulped. 

“Kurama you are always so grumpy.” Naruto laughed and Kakashi watched as Naruto suddenly jumped from Kurama’s back, forward to Kurama’s head. The silver haired man decided to stay on the foxes’ back but watched as Naruto snuggled into Kurama’s fur and gently patted the massive creature. He chuckled and shook his head. ‘ _You need more excitement in your life’._ That’s what Naruto said. Kakashi was sure that what Naruto had said earlier surely had already become reality. 

_Well travelling with your 18-year-old boyfriend on the Kyuubi, back to Konoha, seems like good excitement to me, ne Sensei?_

*

Naruto snuggled into the warm orange fur of his companion. He could hear Kurama’s deep purr and he chuckled. “I am so happy that you are all free. What will you all do now, Kurama?” he really wished that Kurama would stay with him, but he couldn’t ask that… The Bijuu needed to be free. Humans had abused them for so long, Naruto wasn’t allowed to be selfish just because he wanted to keep his friend. 

“We have decided to stay with you.” Kurama said in his usual grumpy voice, but it wasn’t lost to the blond, that there was a certain fondness now in the dark voice of the Kyuubi when he spoke with Naruto. He didn’t know what to answer. “What? With me?” 

“We, the Bijuu, are ancient Chakra beings that were created hundreds of years ago by an old Sage. I am sure that someone has told you the story of the sage Rikudo Sennin before?” 

Naruto fidgeted around with his fingers. That was academy stuff, but he was so bad with history. He never really paid attention and the readings that Iruka-Sensei had given them were kinda hard for him, because no one had ever practiced reading with him at home. He had always felt so embarrassed when his classmates were much quicker with their homework and could leave the academy earlier. It was just hard for him to get through all the Kanji. “I… I may have heard the name. I am not that good with history stuff. You know that, Kurama.” 

The fox didn’t comment on that because he knew and understood. He had been with Naruto all his life, after all. “I will tell you about him.” 

“Thank you Kurama.” 

Kurama told his little one the story of the Bijuu and how they were separated from each other. Naruto could hear a sad howl from Goku in the background. Kurama’s sisters and brothers were eagerly listening too. 

“So this Rikudo Sennin dude was your father and he protected you. I get that, but what I don’t get is, that he told you that one day you would find another Sage who would unite you again and that ….” Naruto fell silent. “Just hold on a second. You think that I’m the -” Naruto brushed through Kurama’s soft orange fur. His heart was hammering in his chest. He turned around and looked into Kakashi’s tender face, who had joined him. “- Sage?”

Kakashi had listened closely to the story that Kurama told Naruto and of course he knew most of the tale of Rikudo Sennin the father and creator of Ninjutsu, but what he didn’t know was that he had also created the Bijuu. There was a lot that Kakashi didn’t know and when Kurama told Naruto that Rikudo Sennin believed that someday another Sage would be born that would reunite the Bijuu in peace he was certain that it would be Naruto. He joined the blond on Kurama’s head and smiled fondly at his beloved. Naruto looked at him with insecurity in his eyes. 

“Seems like you have a little zoo to take care of now Naruto.” Kakashi joked around. “I’m sure that the woods around Konoha can accommodate your friends. I’m sorry that we can’t take them with us into our apartment, but it would be a little … crowded? Considering your toads just pop in unannounced all the time and my pack wants to hang around.” Kakashi scratched his chin in contemplation. “We should consider getting a bigger place, you know?” 

Kurama chuckled. “Believe me Hatake-kun, no one wants to share an apartment with you two. Too much sexual tension.” 

Naruto blushed as he moved to snuggle into Kakashi’s embrace. “Thank you.” He whispered. It wasn’t that normal that someone just accepted a partner who came with a huge fox, eight Bijuu and loads of toads as pets. Naruto entwined their fingers. “I love you so much Kakashi.” 

This must be happiness. 

***


	38. I found my home with you part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “It was a long way back home.” Kakashi said....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have fun with this chapter.  
> Let me know if you find the reference I placed in this chapter hehe, I just couldn't help myself.  
> I am re watching ATLA and TLOK and there is this one scene with Wan and Raava and omg you guys it's so epic!  
> I hope you enjoy this story. :)  
> Thank you <3

Naruto squealed happily when he saw the Hokage Mountain in the distance. Seeing his dad’s face on the familiar mountain side immediately gave him a feeling of belonging and coming home. He leaned back and let the warm autumn winds of october brush through his hair. He smiled and closed his eyes. _Home_. Soon they would be in their apartment again. He couldn’t wait to be alone with Kakashi.  
Kakashi’s arms were tightly wrapped around his upper body and Naruto could feel the familiar body heat from the other man seep into his bones. The warmth of late autumn sun was shining on his face and he felt truly free, for the first time in months - no, years. 

He could remember the first time the Akatsuki had tried to infiltrate the village to kill him, when he was only 13 years old and he would never forget those three long years he was travelling around with Jiraiya, because it was too dangerous for him to stay in the village at that time. Jiraiya was someone who had always believed that it would be best to speak the truth, that’s why he told Naruto about the real reason why he had to take Naruto away. 

Memories from their last night together in the village before Tsunade sent him away resurfaced in his mind. His thoughts drifted off as he remembered the way Kakashi held him in his arms that night. Their first kiss. He snuggled into Kakashi’s embrace and let his thoughts wander. It had been some stressful months. They had been separated for such a long time until they had finally seen each other again on the ship, but that was only a short moment. Kakashi couldn’t stay with him and Naruto wasn’t allowed to return to the village at that time. 

He was still a little bit angry with Kakashi if he was honest with himself, because his lover had kept all those secrets. It might have been true that Kakashi wasn’t allowed to tell him what was going on, but he was still disappointed in him. Not only Kakashi, but Iruka, Sakura and Tsunade as well. Nobody of his friends had told him about the impending war and what was going on with the other nations. When they were back in their apartment, safe and alone, he was sure that they had a lot to talk about.

Konoha was slowly getting closer and the heads on the Hokage Mountain, that were an ever-fixed mark in the landscape of his beloved village, were proudly and fondly staring at Naruto from a distance. 

It had been such a long time since they had been at their apartment together. Since their first kiss they had been separated for weeks and they only had a few moments where they could be alone to exchange gestures of love.  
Naruto suddenly grew worried. Many of their friends now knew about their relationship and Kakashi hadn’t reacted that well the first time someone found out about them. Now that the war was finally over, the Akatsuki were either killed or disbanded and the threat of being killed was over, Naruto realized that he had other worries that would probably drive him crazy at night. 

He didn’t know how a relationship would work, now that they wouldbn't be constantly disrupted by fights and the raging heat of war. What if their relationship wouldn’t work in peaceful times? What would happen once they got back home? Would they simply go back to their usual way of living together or would things change? There were so many things that Naruto felt uncertain about and he really wanted to ask Kakashi about them. He sighed and leaned a little bit more against Kakashi.

“Hm?” Kakashi rubbed his nose against Naruto’s cheek and pulled his beloved a little closer against his body. “Are you alright Naruto?” 

“Yes, I’m fine. I’m just so tired and… I guess I’m just glad that we’re back home.” Naruto admitted quietly. 

“It was _a long way back home_.” Kakashi said and watched as Kurama slowed down. They had arrived at the outskirts of the forests that were surrounding Konoha. 

“It was… “ Naruto whispered and reached for Kakashi’s hand that was gently resting on his stomach. There was a new sealing now. He could feel the difference in the Chakra flow, but he could also feel the warmth of his father’s Chakra signature in the sealing which made him smile. At least that would stay with him. His fingers wandered over Kakashi’s hands that were holding onto the orange material of his jacket. The Jonin snuggled into Naruto’s back and moaned happily as he obliged to Naruto’s wish to entwine their hands. Naruto closed his eyes and enjoyed this short moment of intimacy. 

Kakashi’s mask was still loosely hanging around his neck and he used this opportunity of having Naruto in his arms to press soft kisses to his neck. The blond was leaning against his chest softly caressing his hands. He could hear Naruto’s sigh as his body was starting to relax even more in his embrace. “We’ll be home soon, my love.” He pressed another kiss to Naruto’s neck. “You have to stay awake a little longer.” 

“Hmmm… You’re so warm, Kakashi… I just wanna sleep.” 

Kakashi chuckled. Naruto was right. It had been a very long way for them to get back home together and he was so glad that they would be back in the village soon. When Naruto left the village with Kakashi’s advice to think about what it was that he wanted for his future and from him, after they had shared their first kiss, he thought that Naruto might tell him that he just felt a little experimental and had a stupid little crush on his Sensei. He had never really believed that Naruto would reciprocate his feelings at all.   
Logically it had been the right decision to send Naruto away, because he would have been far away from danger (if he had stayed on the damn island). He had understood _that_ when Tsunade told him about her decision, but his heart was _strongly_ rebelling about sending Naruto away from him at that time. Now that the war was over, and Naruto was back in his arms he could finally relax again.   
He rubbed his nose against Naruto’s soft skin and inhaled the intoxicating scent of the young shinobi. Kakashi pressed his lips against Naruto’s neck and gently started to lick the sensitive skin. He could feel how Naruto was shuddering under his touch.  
Soon they would be alone. No prying eyes. No inquisitive teammates. No more enemies that would dare to hurt or touch his beloved. Kakashi’s eyes closed as he let his tongue wander over Naruto’s neck. 

Naruto was squirming a little bit when Kakashi’s teeth started to nibble on his ear. “Mmm, Kakashi!” His moans were so sweet and innocent. The way the blond pressed his entire body against Kakashi’s wasn’t innocent though. Naruto’s hands lazily travelled over Kakashi’s legs, which were on either side of Naruto’s body. He dug his nails into Kakashi’s strong thighs and moaned. His head fell against Kakashi’s shoulder. He could see the blush on Naruto’s cheek and how his jaw fell open. It was such a beautifully lewd image, and he was glad that Obito had left him this Sharingan, so he could look at Naruto and imprint this image to his memories forever. 

Kakashi tried to calm down, especially because he didn’t want to anger Kurama again after what had happened before, but Naruto was just too delicious. He licked his lips and pressed another final quick kiss to Naruto’s neck and his blushing cheek. 

“That’s mean Kakashi.” Naruto heatedly grumbled. 

“Ah, sorry. But I guess I’m still a little out of my mind after finding out that you are reading Icha Icha, my love.” He chuckled and let his hands wander over Naruto’s thighs and his chest. 

Naruto stuttered and tried to get out of Kakashi’s embrace. “Maaah! You perv! Just because I said that I was thinking about this one scene…” Naruto was so embarrassed and tried to flee.

“You actually cited Icha Icha Tactics too.” Kakashi corrected and grinned at Naruto as he pulled the blond back into his arms. 

How was he supposed to get out of this? He was just in this position because Ero-Sennin made him read all his stupid porn books! He would never tell Kakashi that he _maaaay_ have liked them and that after Jiraiya’s death the publishing rights of the Icha Icha Series were left to him with all of Jiraiya's belongings, which also included drafts, first editions and so on. Maybe he would tell Kakashi one day. 

“I may have read them... once.” Naruto mumbled. "Just quickly look at them actually."

“Aha!” Kakashi chuckled happily. “And did you like them Mariko-chan?” 

Naruto blushed when he heard that name. Oh no, Kakashi was again insinuating that flirt from the battlefield. “I WAS NOT talking about THAT. I was talking about locking you up in our apartment if you should run away again, because _I see those tendencies in you_ …” he grumbled into his hands as he tried to hide his heavily blushing face. 

“Don’t worry Naruto. In Icha Icha Paradise, did Yonosuke-san run away when he got together with Mariko-san?” 

Naruto looked through his fingers, his gaze fixed on Kakashi. “No. They got … Kakashiiii what are you implying?” He turned around and took hold of Kakashi’s vest. He started shaking the Jonin. “I am a guy! You Baka! You can’t get me pregnant! I am not Mariko-san!” 

“Mah Mah, Naru-chan your thoughts are so wild. That’s so lewd.” Kakashi chuckled as he watched Naruto blush even more. “What I was actually referring to was Icha Icha Paradise Chapter 14, where they get married. Yonosuke-san decided to leave his lonely travelling days behind to stay with Mariko-san.” 

Naruto stopped to shake Kakashi and stared at him. He was almost sitting on top of Kakashi’s lap and all he could see was love and devotion in the grey eye that was looking at him. Was this actually happening? Wasn’t this a bit much and a bit fast? They hadn’t even had their first date yet. But… Naruto could feel the way his heart was racing, and a happy laugh was bubbling up inside his chest, because only Kakashi would talk about something as serious as marriage while referencing Icha Icha Paradies. 

“Bakakashi.” Naruto leaned forward and reached for Kakashi’s face. His hands gently caressed the pale cheeks. His blue eyes travelled over Kakashi’s fine features. He couldn’t believe that this man was truly in love with him. Naruto’s forehead leaned against Kakashi’s and the Jonin's arms immediatly wrapped around him. He blushed when he whispered against Kakashi’s lips. “Mariko-san said yes because they had spent _a lot_ of time together, right?” Naruto asked quietly. 

“Hm.” Kakashi hummed and smiled. Their lips were so close to each other. 

“Well, that means that they probably went on **_a lot_ ** of dates… lived together for **_a very long_ ** time… Yonosuke-san must have asked the pack, the toads and Kurama what they think about that and **then** Mariko-san would … say yes... maybe.” Naruto could feel Kakashi’s lips turn up into a happy smile. “Maybe? Are we still talking about Icha Icha, Naruto?” he whispered. “Or should I start taking notes for the future?” 

Naruto pressed his lips against Kakashi’s. He felt so embarrassed. He couldn’t believe what he just said! He couldn’t believe what Kakashi just said!  
Hmmm… But Kakashi’s lips were so soft against his and couldn’t think anymore when the Jonin sucked on his lip. Naruto moaned softly and let his jaw fall open to let Kakashi’s tongue softly rub against his own. Their kiss grew more passionate and Naruto felt his body going lax in Kakashi’s arms as the older man pulled him in his lap. He couldn’t believe what a simple kiss from Kakashi was doing to him. He pulled away from the kiss. His cheeks felt hot. His breath was quick, and his eyes just half lidded as he looked at Kakashi.

“Notes … Notes are alright.” 

The silver haired Jonin smiled tenderly at the blond. “I will remember that Naruto.” He caressed the whiskered cheeks and lifted Naruto’s hand to press a kiss to Naruto’s ring finger. 

“Baka.” Naruto whispered. Kakashi’s lips burned the skin on his hand and he watched his lover press gentle kisses to his palm and every finger until he reached his ring finger. The fight with his other dark half suddenly flashed through his mind. His wish. His signature. His dream. Naruto bit his lip. He looked at Kakashi and felt his heart beat furiously against his ribs. Maybe…

*

They could almost see the village’s gate now and Naruto sighed in relief when he saw the Hokage Tower in the near distance. The huge red building was still proudly standing in the middle of their beautiful village and he could feel how his body was relaxing. “We are home!” he called. 

Kurama chuckled and stopped. They would not go closer to the village – Kurama didn’t want to disturb the civilians and the shinobi who had the job to guard the village while their Hokage and the other shinobi were fighting on the battlefield. Kurama waited until Naruto and Kakashi were safely back on the ground until he nuzzled his big nose in Naruto’s blond hair. 

The blond laughed happily when he felt the Bijuu’s caress. “A part of your Chakra is still sealed inside me Kurama, ne?”

“Yes, we are bonded forever now. The Yondaime renewed the sealing.” His dark voice didn’t sound so scary and bad anymore. Naruto looked into the warm eyes of the huge fox and gently touched the sealing on his stomach. “Does that mean that you are going to stay with me?” he shyly asked. When he lost Kurama and the fear of being alone were still nagging at Naruto. 

It was truly just like Gaara had said. Bee must have suffered a trauma after losing Gyuki. Naruto could feel that part of Kurama with him and it was the same kind of warm and golden Chakra that was burning inside him, but still, it wasn’t the same and Naruto could feel the difference. Kurama had been with him his entire life and he realized over the past couple of hours that they had been travelling back to Konoha, that he felt empty and lonely when he didn’t hear Kurama’s bickering and his weird comments running through his mind.  
He really shouldn’t ask Kurama to stay with him. He probably just wanted to stay with the other Bijuu. Kurama must be happy to finally get away from him and be free. 

_‘Get that thing out of me, let me be free, I just wanna be normal’_ \- Naruto may have felt like that for a very long time when he was a child, but now that they were friends and Kurama wasn’t with him anymore, he felt so lonely like never before. Logically he knew that he wasn’t lonely, because he had Kakashi and all his friends, but the relationship he had with Kurama was different. His mind and his body were playing tricks on him. He looked up and fidgeted with his hands. “I know that you probably wanna stay with your sisters and brothers. I’m just your Baka-Jinchuriki and stuff… But I wish you could stay with me Kurama.” 

The Bijuu had finally gathered around them and looked at Kurama with sympathy. Matatabi chuckled fondly. The world has indeed changed a lot over the last centuries. She couldn’t believe what she saw before her eyes. This young man stood before them and begged a Bijuu not to leave. This had never happened before. Her eyes wandered over to Kurama. Her brother had always been a very soft and gentle soul, but due to his life and his experiences with humans he tended to get aggressive easily. He had put his trust in humans before and had always been disappointed, but Naruto was different. Matatabi could see the wish in Kurama’s eyes that he didn’t dare to speak out loud. He actually _wanted_ to stay with this little human. She felt happiness bubble up in her heart as she looked at her brother. He must have grown rather fond of this young Sage. Who wouldn’t though,… Naruto was precious and he must be truly special if he had been able to reach Kurama’s heart. She purred as her tail fondly reached for one of Kurama’s. The other Bijuu huddled around Kurama and snuggled around the nine-tailed Bijuu. 

“Kurama, I know that you wish to go with Naruto-kun.” Matatabi purred as she rubbed her blue head against her brother’s neck.

“We have waited for centuries to be together again.” Kurama growled. 

Goku chuckled. “And we **are** together. Look at us. Nothing will ever seperate us again. We are free! Why are you being difficult now? You should go and be with the little one. Our father had been right when he said that a new Sage would be born. You should stay with him and protect him. I can see in your eyes that you wish to stay with Naruto-kun.” 

“We can always see each other now.” Saiken giggled and snuggled close to Matatabi.

“We are free! Woooo!" Gyuki loudly exclaimed.

Kurama felt conflicted. He wanted to stay with his sisters and his brothers but when he looked down into the blue eyes of his little Jinchuriki he could still hear the desperate cries of the lonely child he was once sealed in. He could still see Naruto struggling with reading and Chakra control because nobody cared to teach him and the other kids were laughing at him. He saw the little boy who hide under his blanket hugging a pillow crying frustrated tears because some villagers had hurt him again. His sister was right, he wished to stay with his little one. He wished to protect Naruto for as long as this little human lived. 

Naruto was still looking at him, waiting for an answer. He _could stay_ with Naruto, since the seal had changed and part of his Chakra was with Naruto now anyways, he could simply _retreat_ into Naruto’s seal and come back out if he wished. He grumbled around for a moment. His sister giggled and nudged him forward. “Naruto-kun, Kurama wishes to stay with you. We are going to stay in the woods that surround the village for a few days to be together until we have decided where to go. Please tell your Hokage and the other shinobi that we mean no harm to the village or anyone. We simply wish to be together.” 

Naruto jumped around excitingly and ran towards Kurama. He snuggled into the warm orange fur. “Kuramaaa! I am so happy that you are going to stay with me!” 

There was a loud ‘PUFF’ and suddenly the huge fox was gone. Naruto touched his sealing as he felt Kurama’s Chakra that was stored inside him, suddenly rise exponentially. He kneeled down and took in a deep breath. That definitely was a new feeling compared to always having just half of Kurama’s Chakra sealed inside him. 

“Fine. I will admit it... I would like to stay.” Naruto could hear a very familiar voice. He turned around and saw the graceful movements of the nine tailed fox, who was slowly walking towards him. he was now just as tall as Naruto’s hips, and his face still held the same grumpy frown as usual. He was just… shorter. 

“Kurama?” 

“The Yondaime was wise when he formed the new seal. I can stay with you now much like a summon would, but I have more freedom over my Chakra and if I want, I can retreat into the seal or stay with you... like this.” Naruto squealed and raced over to the fox to hug his friend. He wrapped his arms around Kurama, who tried not to purr. Shukaku was still watching. He would **not** permit … Naruto was scratching his ear. That was nice. “Someone has to help that Hatake-brat keep an eye on you… You always get into weird crazy shit.” 

Naruto could hear Kakashi’s laughter in the background. “Kurama-san is right you know?” Naruto grumbled something before he pulled away from the fox and got up. He turned to the Bijuu and bowed to them respectfully. “Thank you so much for everything! I will tell Tsunade-baa-chan that you will stay here for a few days until we can figure everything out. Nothing is going to happen to you. I promise, ‘tebayo!” The Bijuu made purring and rumbling noises of appreciation when Naruto turned around to grab Kakashi’s hand. Naruto turned around and looked at Shukaku and Gyuki. "You know Gaara and Bee would surely be happy to see you two again." he giggled when Shukaka started to loudly protest. Gyuki on the other hand made an appreciative noise which told Naruto all he needed to now. He would send a messanger bird to Bee in the morning to tell him that Gyuki would stay with his siblings for a few days before he would head back to Kumogakure.

 _Maybe I should send Gaara a message as well just to make sure?_ “We should probably go and tell everyone in the village though… because they might get a little shock when they see eight Bijuu running around in the woods around Konoha. Hehe.” He scratched his cheek.

Kakashi tightly held onto his hand and followed his lover. “Good idea. Let’s warn everyone that you have returned and brought a zoo.” 

"Bye you guys! I will see you tomorrow alright?" Naruto's brilliant smile was shining up at the eight Bijuu, who all said their goodbyes to Naruto, Kakashi and Kurama.

The shinobi started to move and Kurama easily followed them through the woods. They jumped from branch to branch and quickly moved closer to Konoha. Naruto sometimes let his hand wander over Kurama’s fur while they ran towards the village. He could feel Naruto’s Chakra was intermingling with his own and as he turned his head towards the young shinobi, he saw Naruto smile at him.  
Maybe he would be able to let go of all the hate inside his heart. Maybe he would be able to forgive all the things that humans had done to him. The angry frown was slowly getting softer as he watched Naruto’s happy face. The young man tightly held onto Kakashi’s hand and Kurama watched them closely. He could see that Hatake Kakashi had also changed a lot since he had first seen him through the eyes of his previous host, Uzumaki Kushina. The angry and sad young boy who had almost killed himself several times during his time in Anbu had now started to live again. _To live for someone._  
Kakashi was the one that made his little one smile like that. He was important. He would keep a close eye on that man. He would protect those two.

Naruto’s hand was softly brushing through his fur as they jumped through the trees. The touch felt strangely familiar and new at the same time. Kurama felt like he was being reunited with his child that had been lost for a long time and now that they were together again he couldn't stop looking at this little fragile human being. Kurama groaned. No wonder that his siblings were making fun of him. None of the others had ever been this attached to their Jinchuriki like Kurama was.

*

They arrived at the gates where Kotetsu and Izumo immediately approached them. “Kakashi! Naruto-kun!” They wanted to hug their friends, when the nine-tailed fox stepped closer to Naruto and lazily sat down next to the Jinchuriki’s right leg, they stopped and reached for their weapons instead. Kurama’s tails were softly moving around Naruto’s legs while he took in his surroundings. It had been such a long time since he had seen the village from this perspective.

“What is that? What is going on, Naruto? Isn’t that the… the Kyuubi?” Izumo asked frantically and tried to find out what was going on by worriedly looking Naruto over. It seemed like they were worried that maybe the seal wasn’t working anymore or something similar. 

“Don’t worry everything is fine. The war is over! The others should be back home soon as well. Tsunade-baa-chan is still busy with sorting out so much about the war she will probably take more time. Kakashi and I were travelling with Kurama, that’s why we were faster.” Naruto looked at Kakashi and waited for him to add more information to this. 

“The others are travelling in teams. You should get everyone ready for our troops to arrive back home. We have many wounded.” Kakashi told them calmly and methodically. 

Kotetsu stared at his friend and waited so that maybe Kakashi would also freak out about the fox that was sitting next to Naruto. He rubbed his head against Naruto’s leg - clearly a sign that he was bored about this and that they needed to tell those men something much more important. 

“OH! There is something else… The Bijuu; they are free and they are going to stay in the woods around Konoha for a few days. They are really nice and gentle, and we have to make sure that nothing happens to them! Oh! And this is Kurama - the Kyuubi!” 

Kakashi listened to Naruto’s excited babble and tried to hold in his laughter. It was beyond him how it was possible to speak so much, so fast. It seemed like Izumo and Kotetsu were thinking the same. They were just gaping, and their eyes were wandering frantically between Naruto, Kakashi, the woods and Kurama. Kakashi felt highly amused. Thank god, he had his freak-out-moment back on the battlefield, when Naruto told him that he was talking with the Bijuu.  
Poor Izumo and Kotetsu though, this was a lot to take in.  
Kakashi chuckled in amusement as he watched Izumo, who tried to take in all that information. “ALL the Bijuu?” 

Naruto nodded happily and patted Kurama’s head. “Well, not all of them. Kurama is staying with me! Obviously. Here. In the village. Isn’t that great? Dattebayo!” 

“Obviously. That's just... great.” Izumo whispered carefully. He wasn’t sure if _great_ was the first word that came to his mind when he thought about all the Bijuu staying around Konoha. He felt a little apprehensive, but as he looked into Naruto’s blue happy shining eyes, he didn’t want to show how worried he truly was. He could also feel Kotetsu’s worried gaze that was fixed on the Kyuubi, that was simply sitting next to the grinning blond.  
It hadn’t escaped their watchful eyes that Naruto held Kakashi’s hand in his. _Seems like something is going on there as well?_ Izumo had to take in a deep calming breath. That was all a little much for him. The Bijuu were camping just outside the village, the Kyuubi would be staying INSIDE the village with Naruto and Hatake Kakashi apparently had started a relationship… with Naruto?! Izumo would have to ask the Hokage for a week off when she returned. He really needed some time at the Onsen or something. - And Sake. Lot’s of Sake.

Kakashi squeezed Izumo’s shoulder. “Don’t think about it too much. Naruto has a big zoo now, but they are all very tame and actually very good company.” 

“Tame?” Kurama’s dark voice grumbled from his spot next to Naruto. Everyone looked at him. It was silent for a moment. Naruto laughed as he watched Kurama stare angrily at Kakashi. 

The Jonin shrugged. “Friendly?”

“That depends on the company.” Kurama chuckled darkly. 

Kakashi chuckled as well as he saw the amused glint in Kurama's eyes. 

Naruto yawned and stretched. “You guys, I am so tired, I could probably fall asleep right here on this spot. Would it be alright if you keep your eyes open for Tsunade-baa-chan? Tell her that the Bijuu are settling in. I really need to go home and sleep. Tell her that I will take care of everything tomorrow.” He started to move and pulled on Kakashi’s hand. The Jonin and Kurama followed the blond which left the other two Jonin standing at the gate. They stared after the departing group.

Izumo turned to his friend and looked into an equally confused face. “So... The Bijuu.” 

“The Bijuu.” 

They were quiet for a moment. 

“Did you see their hands?” 

“Yes.” 

“Does that mean… Are they…?” Kotetsu didn’t even know what to say. “you know… _a thing_?” 

Izumo laughed. “I guess that means that Kakashi finally found something that is better than porn.” 

***


	39. I found my home with you part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto and Kakashi are finally back home, but some wounds need to heal first before they can move forward.

Kakashi pulled his keys out and opened the door to their apartment. It had been weeks since they had been home together. Naruto followed him inside and they intuitively fell into their usual ritual of taking off their shoes and taking off their jackets. It felt like they had never left the village. Naruto put his jacket and his shoes next to Kakashi’s and they went into the living room area. Nothing had changed. Everything was still the same – just like they had left it. There was the little rice cooker that Kakashi had bought and in the corner of the kitchen counter, were their favorite cups that they always used for tea in the morning. Naruto had bought them a few days after they had moved in together. Naruto sat down at the table and looked around. He had missed their home so much. He had been on the run for months and now that he was finally back home he felt like he was able to take a break and rest for the first time in what felt like forever. Kurama sat down next to him and rubbed his nose against Naruto’s arm. The blond looked down and smiled tiredly. Their gazes met and he could see that Kurama was tired too. A lot has happened between them in the past few days. “Kurama, if you wanna sleep, you can take a nap.” 

“Hm. If you need me, you can always call me, Naruto.” The dark voice that had scared Naruto before, sounded so warm and comforting now. The blond smiled and leaned down to hug the fox. “Yes. Thank you, Kurama.” He nuzzled his face into the bright orange fur. “Don’t worry. We’re back home now.” His fingers gently brushed through the soft fur until Kurama returned into the seal with a loud ‘PUFF’. Naruto laughed and leaned back.  
His hands moved over his stomach and traced the place where his father’s new seal was located. That he was the last Jinchuriki now made him feel all kinds of things, but he was also aware of the fact that he was not as strong as Gaara or Bee to be separated from the Bijuu and simply move on. Maybe that also had to do with the fact that Gaara and Bee were chosen to be the Jinchuriki when they were very young, while he was bonded to Kurama since birth. He had never been without Kurama and he didn’t even know how to be without the grumpy old fox. Naruto could feel Kurama’s Chakra settle in his body. It wrapped around his body like a warm blanket. He relaxed and felt heavy with sleep all of a sudden. A deep tiredness overcame him, and he yawned. It felt good to be reunited with Kurama like this. 

Kakashi had watched their interaction fondly and waited until Kurama had decided to leave them. He could see how much it meant to Naruto that the Kyuubi stayed with him, but he also appreciated it immensely that Kurama decided to leave them alone for the evening to give them more privacy. Kakashi moved closer to Naruto and sat down next to the blond. His beautiful blue eyes were heavy with sleep and as soon as Kakashi was next to him he watched how the blond snuggled closer to his side. 

“Are you tired?” He quietly asked. 

Naruto just hummed. 

“Come on, let’s get you into the shower. I’ll pull out our Futon in the meantime.” 

Kakashi helped him up and made sure that Naruto went to the bathroom. Naruto yawned several times on the short way to the bathroom and tightly held onto the other man. Kakashi went into the bathroom with him and turned on the shower. He made sure that the water was nice and warm as he pulled his hand away from the cabin. 

“Try not to fall asleep in the shower, my love.” Kakashi chuckled lightly as he gently placed a kiss on Naruto’s blond locks. 

Naruto blushed. “You could stay and make sure that I don’t fall asleep.” He mumbled. 

_WHAT DID I JUST SAY?!_

**HAHA! Did you** **_really_ ** **just say that kid?**

_I am dying._

**No, you are not, but maybe you are going to get laid soon? I am glad that I stayed with you, kid.** **  
** **I would have missed our talks about your sexual crisis over Kakashi.**

Naruto was blushing madly at Kurama’s words. 

_Getting lai- laid?! I was … I was just…!_

**You were flirting and if I look at the Hatake-brat, you were pretty good at it too.** The fox chuckled darkly. He was glad that he stayed with Naruto. He would have missed Naruto’s freak outs about his relationship with Kakashi. – He would have missed his little one.

While Naruto was still conversing with Kurama, Kakashi was close to his own nervous breakdown. “Sta- Stay? _Here_ ?” The Jonin felt himself blush madly as his mind was providing (and tormenting) him with various images of Naruto in the shower. _Wet_ . Moaning his name while he touched the blond’s _very_ . _naked_ . _body_ . NO! Kakashi most definitely couldn’t stay. They just started this relationship, and he would make sure that they take it slow. Naruto was way too innocent to deal with his horny mind at this point. Their gazes met. Kakashi looked into Naruto’s wide blue eyes that were watching his every move.  
“I should probably go. I’ll take a shower when you are done. Here are some towles.” He quickly turned around and left the bathroom in a hurry. _Smooth Kakashi._ _. Urg..  
_ A frustrated groan left the Jonin when he thought about Naruto’s innocent blue eyes, his beautiful blond hair and _miles_ of tan skin that would be under the shower soon.  
Naruto really needed to be more aware of how much sex appeal he had and that he was oozing it around Kakashi like crazy. Maybe it was just because he hadn’t been sexually active for such a long time and he was horny as hell and just thinking about Naruto like that made his hormones run wild. He buried his face in his hands. “I need it so bad.” He groaned. He would give Naruto all the time he would need but in the meantime his hand would become his best friend.  
“Maahh- No reason to feel frustrated. We’re back home now. We’re together. That’s all that matters.” Kakashi quietly said to himself as he slowly walked back to their bedroom to prepare their Futons. 

*

Naruto watched as Kakashi left the bathroom rather quickly. He was confused by his behavior. 

_Did I do something wrong? Maybe I shouldn’t have said that._

Kurama laughed. **I guess he just fled the dangerous zone to give you more time.**

_More time?_

**You are such an innocent kid.**

_Well, help me then! I don’t understand!_

**He wants to give you more time until you two have sex. He probably didn't want to be tempted to take your** **little** **virgin ass in the shower right now.**

_Take my… TEMPTED?!_ Naruto blushed furiously while Kurama laughed madly at his almost stupidly innocent ways, even though he knew that Naruto’s mind was far from innocent. He had his own dirty fantasies about the silver haired Jonin and his body had reacted strongly to Kakashi’s touch before. 

**You know, you should be glad that your mate is so considerate of you. You are way too innocent to have sex right now, Naruto. Kakashi is 31 and –**

_And? I am 18 and I know that I love him. I want my first time to be with Kakashi.  
_

**I wasn’t questioning your feelings for Kakashi. I was questioning if you are ready for the next step in a human relationship. I have been with humans for a very long time and I have seen how your father, the Yondaime Hokage, has wooed your mother and I watched their mating, and I can tell you –**

_EW! Kurama, stop right there! Please NO!_

**I was just saying that such things take time with humans. You shouldn’t rush this. It will be your first time after all.**

Naruto fell quiet and touched the seal on his stomach. He always had the feeling when he touched the seal, he would be closer to Kurama. 

_And if Kakashi doesn’t want to wait? What if he wants to have sex, like … right now?_ Naruto blushed. He realized that he really wasn’t ready for this. He may have acted like he knew what he was doing while their relationship was built on the rush and excitement of the ongoing war around them, but the truth was that he was nervous as hell. After his talk with Gai-Sensei on the ship he was certain about his feelings, but it also made it clear to him that he had absolutely no experience.

 _What if I can’t give Kakashi what he wants? What if he leaves me if I’m not good at… sex?_ He bit his lips anxiously and fiddled with his shirt. _I love him so much and I want to be, you know… good?_

Naruto groaned and pulled the shirt over his head and ruffled his hair. He really needed to wash it. 

**Naruto, I really enjoy our talks, but this is something that you should talk about with Kakashi. I care about you kid. I have seen all the things that you had to go through in your life and I just want you to be happy now that the Akatsuki are gone and the war is over. You have somebody that you love and let me tell you this, because I am so much older than you… life is short, it is precious, don’t waste too much time with worries and sadness. If you are afraid and worry about something tell Kakashi. He’s a good one. Keep him.**

Naruto smiled and sniffed. “Thank you Kurama. Yes, he’s a good one.” His answer echoed in the silent room that was slowly warming up with the steam of the hot shower. Kurama fell silent again and Naruto thought that maybe the fox went back to sleep. 

He took a few steps forward and held onto the sink. When he looked into the mirror that was above the sink he gasped. He hadn’t been aware of what the war and the days of nonstop fighting had done to him and to his body. They had been on the frontlines for days, with practically no food, only soldier pills and almost no sleep. There was a deep cut on his left cheek that was already healing – Kurama was probably taking care of his injuries by now – under his eyes were dark rings and his face looked pale compared to his usual tan and healthy complexion.  
He touched his skin. Pale skin… Like Sasuke’s. Suddenly tears were welling up in his eyes. Would Tsunade and Shikamaru take care of Sasuke? Would they bring him back to the village? What about Obito’s body? 

_I should have stayed with him. I should have taken care of Sasuke. I left him there._

Naruto sniffed brokenly. He took his pants and his underwear off quickly and went to the shower stall. Kakashi had turned on water and when he stepped inside the steaming hot water was raining down on his shoulders. The water was just as hot as the tears that made their way down his cheeks. They just wouldn’t stop. He tried to keep them in, but he couldn’t. He sniffed again and suddenly it felt like a dam had broken inside him. He tried to hold on to the shower wall, but he felt his knees buckle and he sank down onto the floor. He pressed the palms of his hands against his face and his eyes, but the tears kept coming. A broken sob left his lungs and his body trembled under the pressure of his feelings. There was this horrible pain again like he couldn’t breathe and he started to panic. He knew that feeling. It was the same horrible pain that he had suffered in the land of iron. 

_No. No. Please! Not again!_

Kakashi was so far away and he felt like he was locked in this tiny space. The water was suddenly too hot, and more and more tears were streaming down his cheeks.  
Sasuke was dead and he hadn’t been able to save him. It was his fault. He could still hear the broken voice of his friend in his ears. He could still see all the blood on Sasuke’s chest, his clothes, the ground. It was everywhere. 

_You are such an Usuratonkatchi._ _  
_ _Forgive me Naruto._

He was gasping for air now. It felt like he was taking in no air but water instead. He was going to drown. Sasuke’s blood was everywhere. He was drowning in boiling hot water and Sasuke’s blood. He couldn’t breathe. His vision was getting blurry. Where was Kakashi?! He needed Kakashi. He was stumbling and fell to the hard floor of the shower. His hand slammed against the wall as his head hit the ground. 

“Kaka- shi…” He tried to call for Kakashi but only a broken whimper made it over his lips. His body shivered and cramped. He clenched his fists against his chest as he sobbed miserably. Suddenly the door was ripped open and he could hear hurried footsteps. The shower stall was pulled open and his trembling body was gently lifted out of the shower onto the floor. 

*

Kakashi was in their bedroom and was busy getting their Futons out when he heard the loud crash in the bathroom. He dropped the pillow and immediately went to the bathroom to knock on the door, but when no answer came to his calls, he was afraid that something might have happened to Naruto and he pulled the door open. 

Naruto’s body was cramping on the floor of the shower and he was gasping for air. He was desperately reaching for his throat and his lips. Kakashi’s body moved on his own when he hurriedly pulled the shower stall open and turned off the water. He kneeled down next to Naruto and pulled the blond gently into his arms. 

Kakashi felt a little frantic when he saw Naruto having another panic attack. It was just like the one he had in the land of iron. What happened after he left the bathroom? “Naruto?! Naruto look at me! Calm down. You have to breathe my love.” He whispered as he tried to calm the trembling blond who had turned his head into Kakashi’s chest. Tears were still running down his cheeks and Kakashi immediately understood what this panic attack was about. Naruto had been so strong for so long, but it seemed like Sasuke’s death was really sinking into Naruto’s mind now. His eyes frantically wandered over the bathroom and quickly reached for the towel that he had placed on the sink. He wrapped the towel around the shivering body and dried Naruto off.

“Breath, Naruto. Breath with me.” _I should have stayed._

It had been just a matter of time until Naruto would break under the stress and the pressure of his own feelings. Kakashi felt like a huge fool for thinking that the young man would be alright. Naruto had almost died on the battlefield, he had lost Kurama, which must have been traumatic as well and Sasuke had died just a few hours ago. 

Naruto’s breathing was still erratic, and he could feel how his body was shaking in Kakashi’s embrace. The Jonin was talking to him but he couldn’t quite hear the words. He tried to focus on Kakashi’s face, but his sight was still unfocused and a little blurry. He had wrapped him in a soft towel and pulled him closer to his body. The body heat felt good. Strong and alive. Another pitiful sob wracked his body. He remembered Sasuke’s pale chest that had been warm with life but under his touch it turned cold and lifeless. He was almost choking. 

“Breath. It’s going to be alright. I’m here Naruto.” Kakashi’s words were getting a little clearer now and the world stopped spinning. Kakashi’s arms were tightly wrapped around him. He was safe. He would be alright. His hands were intuitively reaching for the man that held him so gently in his arms. 

Kakashi didn’t hesitate when he took Naruto in his arms and picked him up to carry him to their bedroom, where he laid him down on his Futon. Kakashi was still in his Uniform, the same Uniform that he had worn during the fighting and he was in a desperate need of a shower, but he was too worried about Naruto.  
He had the blond only wrapped in a towel and he really needed to get Naruto dressed and into bed. When Naruto was safely cuddled onto his Futon, Kakashi bit his finger and summoned Pakkun and Bisuke. 

The ninken immediately greeted Kakashi and started licking his hand. 

“Yo! Boss!” 

“Boss!” 

“Pakkun, Bisuke, I want you to watch over Naruto for a moment.” He told his Ninken seriously. Kakashi had used the same serious tone when Naruto had disappeared, when Fukasaku had summoned the Jinchuriki to the toads and nobody knew where Naruto was. They stood at attention. The ninken immediately knew that something must be wrong with Naruto and quickly nodded. Bisuke whimpered when he spotted Naruto who was still crying into the pillows on Kakashi’s Futon. He quickly made his way over to the young shinobi and rubbed his nose against the wet face. Pakkun followed Bisuke and nuzzled his face into the blond hair. 

Kakashi watched the ninken for a moment as they snuggled into Naruto’s side. He was worried that he might have to take Naruto into hospital after all. Naruto reached for Bisuke and wrapped his arms around the little dog. Bisuke licked Naruto’s hand and whimpered. “Naruto is sad? Boss is worried.” 

Naruto simply nodded. “I’m sorry.” 

Kakashi took one of Naruto’s pajamas out of the drawers and went back to his Futon. He kneeled next to his lover and kissed the soft cheek that was slightly flushed from the crying and the emotional exhaustion. “There is nothing that you need to apologize for. You lost a friend today. It’s ok to be sad. I … I should have stayed with you. I just wanted to give you privacy, because I felt like maybe this was going too fast for you… I am sorry, Naruto.” 

Pakkun’s and Bisuke’s warm bodies and their warm breaths against Naruto’s skin had such a soothing effect on his troubled mind that he was able to take a deep calm breath. He turned around to look at Kakashi. His lover sat close to him softly caressing his cheek and face showed how worried he was about Naruto. He closed his eyes. That was the second time he had suffered a panic attack like this. This time he hadn’t passed out. He had been able to calm down again because Kakashi had been with him. He was finally able to take in his surroundings and realized that he was just covered in a towel and that Kakashi was still wearing his Uniform that was covered in blood and dirt. Kakashi was still wearing his Hitai-ate that was firmly covering his Sharingan. 

_He didn’t even get a chance to clean himself up, because I …_

Naruto angrily groaned and tried to turn away from Kakashi, but he stopped Naruto. “I know this war and everything that happened was _a lot._ You should take some time to reflect about your losses and your feelings.” Naruto sniffed again and his hands brushed over his eyes to whip his tears away. Kakashi helped the blond into his pajama pants. Naruto wordlessly accepted the help and let Kakashi’s gentle hands guide him back under the blankets of the Futon. The ninken snuggled closer to Naruto who was on the verge of falling asleep when Kakashi slowly got up. Naruto’s eyes opened again and he looked at the Jonin. 

“I’m just going to take a quick shower.” Before he stood up, Kakashi leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to Naruto’s cheek. “I’ll be back in a minute.” Kakashi gently brushed through the blond hair and got up. He took some fresh clothes and went to the bathroom. A few rays of light from the kitchen fell into the dark bedroom. 

Naruto felt uneasy as Kakashi’s hand let go of his fingers. The pain in his chest might have been gone, but his heart was aching. Death was their business. Shinobi had to be strong and unwavering in their compassion for their friends and comrades and their loyalty to their village and the daimyo, but nothing of this was making any sense to Naruto right now. As his eyes closed, Bisuke and Pakkun snuggled closer to the blond shinobi. Naruto sighed and sniffed brokenly as he pulled the ninken closer to his chest. Pakkun and Bisuke licked his hand and his face. 

“Why are you sad Naruto?” Bisuke quietly said as he rubbed his nose against Naruto’s cheek. 

"I lost a friend today... And I don't know what to do." He whimpered and buried his face into the pillow. It smelled like Kakashi and the scent was surrounding him and made him feel safe. “I need Kakashi.”

“Boss will be back soon.” The little pug answered. 

Naruto nodded and held onto the ninken. Bisuke gently licked Naruto’s tears away. “Is Naruto pack now?” The little dog asked innocently. “Naruto smells like Boss.” 

Naruto’s hand was brushing through Bisuke’s soft fur. “I do?” He asked quietly and sniffled again. A few tears still escaped his eyes. 

Pakkun chuckled. “Yes. Your scent has changed since you left the village. It has intermingled strongly with Kakashi’s scent. Are you pack now?” 

Naruto blushed. He wanted to say ‘yes’, but he wasn’t sure if it was his place to answer this question. His mind was in such turmoil and he couldn’t really concentrate on formulating an answer. What would Kakashi say? _What does Kakashi want?_ Suddenly the door was opened and Kakashi stepped back into the bedroom again. He wore some black pants for the night. They hung loosely on his hips. Naruto had to swallow as his eyes wandered over the chiseled abs and the miles of pale skin of Kakashi’s body. He could see that the silver hair was still slightly damp from the shower and that some droplets of water were sliding over his shoulders and his chest. 

“Yes. Naruto is pack now.” Kakashi simply answered in his smooth voice. Naruto and the ninken looked up and the mismatched eyes were shining in the darkness of the room. 

Pakkun and Bisuke barked happily. Bisuke jumped up and down and excitedly licked Naruto’s face. “Naruto is pack!” 

Naruto hugged the little ninken and smiled. “Yes, yes! Stop it Bisuke. Haha. That’s my eye!” Naruto heard a rustling noise next to him and suddenly Bisuke was pulled away from him. Kakashi was kneeling next to the Futon and Bisuke had curled into Kakashi’s chest. The dog looked into the mismatched eyes with an embarrassed grin. “Sorry Boss. I got excited.” 

“I know, you love Naruto.” Bisuke barked again to make sure his Boss knew that statement was true. The pack loved the blond shinobi. They got cuddles and treats from him every time Naruto met the pack. Kakashi chuckled. “Yes, I know.” He gently patted his little ninken. Pakkun rested his head on Kakashi’s leg. “I’ll call the pack tomorrow and we’ll talk, alright? Thank you for watching over Naruto.” Bisuke and Pakkun barked happily and after a quick pat on the head and hug from Naruto the summons puffed away. 

Naruto and Kakashi were finally left alone in their quiet apartment. Naruto was snuggled savely under Kakashi’s blanket on his Futon. He looked into the mismatched eyes and was suddenly highly aware that Kakashi had held his naked body in the shower. He blushed heavily and he was glad that the darkness of the room was obscuring his face at least a little bit. He tried to turn away and bury his face in the pillow again but Kakashi’s hand was on his cheek. With a soft and careful touch, Kakashi’s fingers were tracing the cut that was now almost healed thanks to Kuramas’s Chakra. 

“Does it hurt?” 

Naruto squirmed under his touch. He wished that Kakashi would address what had happened earlier. He closed his eyes in shame. “No. I… I’m fine.” 

“You can talk to me if you are hurt. You don’t have to hide anything from me. You remember what you told me? Couples work like teams… We are a team, right?” Kakashi said quietly.  


Naruto bit his lip. It’s true. Those were his words. Kakashi laid down next to the blond and gently wrapped his arms around Naruto. Naruto turned in his arms and pressed his face in Kakashi’s chest. His cheeks felt hot and were turning all shades of red as he felt Kakashi’s skin and his muscles flex under his touch. No barriers were left between them.  
No distance divided them anymore. No Akatsuki. No war. The blush on his face had intensified and he had to close his eyes. He remembered the kiss they shared on the ship and the night in the woods during the war. They had been so close, but now that they finally were alone it felt so weird and foreign and Naruto didn’t know what to do and where to put his hands. He could feel Kakashi’s arms around his body and the way he was gently nuzzling his nose into his hair. Kakashi’s body heat was seeping into his bones and he just wanted to melt against the other man. He sighed and relaxed a little bit more. “Yes… That’s what I said.” He whispered.

Kakashi’s hands moved over Naruto’s bare back and drew circles over the soft skin. He waited patiently for the other man to talk. They were home. Together. Safely. There was no need for hurried conversations. They had all the time in the world. He would wait until Naruto was ready to talk. He pressed a soft kiss against Naruto’s forehead and hummed. 

*

Naruto wasn’t sure how to start. He wasn’t even sure if he wanted to talk at all. Sasuke’s death had ripped his chest wide open. He knew the reason for his first panic attack in the land of iron was because of his fear of _losing_ Sasuke because he attacked the Kage conference. After talking with Gaara in the land of iron this overwhelming fear had settled in his heart.  
‘ _They are going to kill Sasuke.’  
‘I know what happens to rouge nin.’  
‘They are going to send the Anbu after him.’_  
He couldn’t believe that Sasuke had killed all those innocent Samurai and that he had tried to kill the Raikage and Bee. A Jinchuriki. He had been a member of the Akatsuki. He could feel a sharp pain in his chest. He had been in denial for so long. 

“I…” He started several times but stopped again. “I miss Sasuke.” He whispered. “I told him that I forgive everything that he did, but when I think about all the things he did… to the Samurai, the Raikage, Bee… me, Sakura and the village. I… I don’t know what to do. He came and saved me … everyone… and he just died!!" He took in a deep breath. He couldn't even start to put words to all the feelings that were racing through his body right now. Anger. Sadness. Grief. Hurt. "Why did he have to die?! We will never be able to talk about all the things that happened between us! I don’t know what to do Kakashi. I don’t know where to go from here.” He clenched his fist against Kakashi’s chest. “How could he do this.” 

Kakashi was glad that Naruto was finally talking about Sasuke. He was wondering how it was possible for Naruto to have such a positive attitude about Sasuke all the time. He had never said a negative word about his teammate. He had always defended him against everyone no matter what crime Sasuke had committed. Naruto had taken beating after beating just so Sasuke could be free. It seems like now his sadness and his frustrations broke free. “You cannot change the things that Sasuke did in his past. It was his own decision to leave the village and to follow his path. That is something that we will simply have to accept and live with. He was a part of Team 7 and we will never forget him. I promise you, Naruto. It is also completely natural that you are angry right now. You have to work through all the feelings that might come up when you think about Sasuke in the next several weeks and months. Just don’t bury them inside. Talk to me. I am here.” Kakashi pressed a soft kiss to Naruto’s forehead. Their legs had gotten entangled and Naruto leaned up a little bit to look into Kakashi’s eyes. Naruto’s hands gently wandered over Kakashi’s abs and on his chest were beads of water gliding over his pale skin. “I was so worried about you, my love.” Kakashi whispered into the darkness of the bedroom and let his hand wander over Naruto’s cheek and his neck. 

Naruto let his head drop onto Kakashi’s pillow. “I am sorry… This is the second time something like this happened to me.” He whispered. “I don’t want to bother you with this –“ 

“You don’t bother me. I love you. Don’t pull away from me when you are hurt. Tell me what you are feeling. Let me take care of you.” 

Naruto looked up into Kakashi’s face that was full of love and worry. There wasn’t any annoyance or anger. His hands wandered over the muscular chest to the collarbone and Kakashi’s strong shoulders. Their gazes were fixed on each other as Naruto’s hands slowly made their way over Kakashi’s neck to his face. He touched the scar and traced it for a short moment. 

Kakashi was right and Kurama had been right too. He needed to be more honest with himself and with Kakashi.   


“I need you to hold me. I just… I need you so much Kakashi.” 

“Naruto… ” 

They fell into each other’s arms and Naruto let his hands brush through the silver hair. “Hold me.” 

“Yes.” 

“Don’t leave me.” 

“Never, my love.” 

For a moment Naruto closed his eyes. He needed to tell Kakashi what was bothering him, but not tonight. Tonight, they needed their sleep and he just wanted to melt into Kakashi’s arms, and he wanted to feel like Kakashi was also melting into him. He wanted to feel like they were one and like nothing stood between them. He wanted to forget everything else and just live in this moment with the man he loved. 

“Kiss me.” Naruto whispered heatedly. “Kiss me like that night on the ship.” He begged as he pulled his lover closer. He was glad that only the gloomy light of the lamps outside their apartment were illuminating the bedroom. Darkness was wrapped around them and Kakashi couldn’t see the heavy blush on his cheeks.  


Kakashi took in a deep breath. “Naruto.” 

“I want to feel you everywhere. I need you.” 

Kakashi bit his lip. Naruto had no idea what those words did to him. He wanted Naruto so bad. In EVERY way there was to want someone. He really needed to be careful because Naruto was so fragile right now. He leaned down and gently pressed his lips against Naruto’s. 

_This feels so good though._

He closed his eyes and let his lips sensually move against Naruto’s. He pulled away slightly to lick over his lips and he could taste Naruto’s sweet flavor. As he looked down, he could see Naruto’s half lidded eyes gaze up into his face. His pupils were dilated, and his lips were slightly agape. Kakashi had to take in a deep breath. He couldn’t take this any further tonight even if his body was screaming for more. He leaned down and pressed another soft kiss against Naruto’s innocent lips. Sakura’s words from the battlefield were flashing in his mind again. Naruto had never been with anyone. 

_Why do I have to think about this right now?_

He groaned and started to suck on the pink bottom lip. When he heard a soft tentative moan leave Naruto’s mouth he pulled back again. What a sight. The whiskered cheeks were beautifully flushed, and the blue eyes were a little glazed over. 

“We should stop this for tonight. We should rest… The fighting had been hard. We have all the time in the world now. No need to rush anything.” His hand gently caressed the blushing cheek and kissed Naruto’s forehead. “I love you, Naruto.” He couldn’t believe how natural it felt now to say those words. 

Naruto smiled a little. “I love you too, Kakashi.” He snuggled deeper into Kakashi’s embrace. They could talk tomorrow...

*

It was getting late and it was getting livelier and louder outside their apartment. More and more shinobi were returning from the battlefield. Families and friends were reunited, and they started to celebrate. They started to celebrate their hero. Naruto. He had saved their village, fought against the Akatsuki, saved the Kaze Kage and Bee-san and now, after this war their village had a prosperous future. Konoha had found many allies and new friends due to Naruto’s help and his active engagement.  
Many shinobi told their families and their friends proudly that they had been fighting alongside Uzumaki Naruto and Hatake Kakashi during this war. How brave he had been and what a nice man he was. 

Of course, his bravery wasn’t the only talk of town. Soon the entire village was aware that Hatake Kakashi was in a relationship with Uzumaki Naruto and the gossip ran wild.  
Everyone wanted to know when this secret liaison had started, and many people were worried that Kakashi maybe had lusted after his young beautiful student before he was of age. 

_‘It’s the porn he’s reading all the time.’_

_‘Do you think that he touched the boy when Naruto was still his student?’_

_‘What are Tsunade-sama and Iruka-Sensei thinking about all of this? They can’t approve!’_

Of course there were not only those who were worried about Naruto’s virtue. There were also those who had suspected that something might be going on between the blond Jinchuriki and the Jonin Sensei and felt happy for them. 

_‘I am so happy for Naruto-kun and Kakashi-san. They deserve this happiness.’_

_‘Did you see the way he looked at Kakashi-san during the fight? It’s so cute. I’m sure Kakashi-san is treating him well.’_

  


But Naruto and Kakashi didn’t know anything about the excitement that happened outside their apartment or that they were already trending in the world of shinobi gossip, because they were finally able to sleep wrapped in each other’s arms. 

***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Saturday update will be a side story to the Series. Hehe (some nice little KNK sexy times.)  
> The main story will be updated next tuesday <3 <3   
> Love you all <3


	40. Shinobi Gossip part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> nothing travels faster than shinobi gossip...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This chapter deals with homophobia.  
> Please always note the tags and warnings.

The early morning sun was tickling his nose when Naruto woke up. He tried to move but a heavy weight pressed down on his body and he realized that in the middle of the night Kakashi must have rolled on top of him. He smiled and wrapped his arms around the sleeping Jonin. Kakashi’s soft breath was tickling his neck and he sighed happily. Their legs were entangled and Kakashi was still holding one of Naruto’s hands. 

_ Even when he’s asleep he’s protecting me.  _

The wild silver hair was practically all over Naruto’s face and the blond chuckled sleepily. Kakashi’s body warmth was seeping into his bones and he felt safe in the strong arms of his lover. He could feel his eyelids drop again. He snuggled a little bit more into the Futon and into Kakashi’s warm body. 

_ That’s nice. _

He wished he could always wake up like this. His eyelids felt heavy and he stopped fighting against the wonderful feeling that was wrapped around his mind and his body. He was drifting between sleep and awareness for a moment but Kakashi’s scent and his warmth that were all around him lulled him back into a deep sleep. 

*

Naruto woke up several hours later. It must have been around noon when he heard quiet noises coming from outside the bedroom.  _ Kakashi must be working in the kitchen _ . He thought.

Tiredly he stretched his body and realized that he could move his body freely now. He opened his eyes and saw that he was alone on the Futon. He groaned. 

_ I wish he’d stayed…  _

**You needed the rest, kid.**

_ Kurama, did you sleep as well?  _

**I did and I took care of your wounds. Do you feel better?**

Naruto smiled. He could clearly hear the worry in Kurama’s words. 

_ I do feel better. Thank you. I… I guess, you know what happened yesterday?  _

**Of course, I do and I agree with Kakashi. Don’t bury this inside you… I know you too well Naruto. I can only heal your body, not your mind or your heart. You understand what I’m saying?**

Naruto sat up straight on his Futon and stared at his hands in deep contemplation. He knew deep down that both Kakashi and Kurama were right, but it was hard to admit to yourself when you need help. He knew that it wasn’t just grief that he felt when he thought about Sasuke and that was making it only harder on him. There was so much pent-up anger in his heart and he wasn’t sure how to deal with it. Since that moment when he promised Sakura that he would bring Sasuke back home and had failed to do so, it was like the team was drifting apart. He could feel himself and Sasuke grow further and further apart. He tried to make sure that he defended the Uchiha in front of the village and his friends out of loyalty but deep inside the anger and frustration about Sasuke’s action grew.    
There had always been this sliver of hope that he wasn’t willing to give up that  _ maybe  _ Sasuke would change.   
In the end Sasuke  _ had changed  _ and came to help him, but why…  **why** did Sasuke only have this change of heart so late?    
He slowly came to understand that sometimes there were no second chances in life.    
Life was short and precious, and he wouldn’t waste it. This life that Sasuke and his parents had protected. He fell back onto the futon and stared at the ceiling.    
Sasuke had given his own life so he could live and change this world. He would never forget his sacrifice. Even though, right now there was so much anger and sadness inside him he also felt immense love and gratitude for his dead friend, and he knew that eventually time would also heal those wounds – but he would never forget Sasuke.

_ I… I will think about it.  _ He told Kurama quietly.

Kurama was silent for a moment and hesitated to go on, but the fox knew that he had to press Naruto on this. The young shinobi needed someone to guide him through this painful time. 

**Kakashi worries about you because he loves you and I worry about you because… I never had any children Naruto… but when I look at you kid, I feel like I have to take care of… my own.**

Naruto’s eyes were wide blown as he listened to Kurama’s word. He bit his lip, but he wasn’t able to keep the happy giggle inside. He gently touched the seal and rubbed his belly. “Alright. I will talk with Kakashi and baa-chan.” He whispered. “Are you growing soft on me Kurama?” he chuckled and slowly moved the blanket away. He stretched his limbs again and realized that the pain in his arms, legs and his chest was practically gone. He touched his cheek where the deep cut should have been, but Kurama had thankfully taken care of that. He sighed in relief. 

**Hn. Maybe. I was stuck with you for a very long time after all.**

_ But you were stuck with the other Jinchuriki too?  _ Naruto asked innocently and yawned loudly. It felt good to be home and it was wonderful to sleep in fresh clothes. He didn’t even know what the time was. How long did he sleep?

Kurama felt like Naruto got him there. It was true, that he had been stuck with the other Jinchuriki as well, but there was something fundamentally different between Mito, Kushina and Naruto, even though all of them were from the Uzumaki Clan. He grumbled irritated and wished that Naruto would drop it. 

_ You know Kurama, if you don’t want to talk about it, that’s totally fine, ‘tebayo. I am just glad that you are with me. I would have been so lonely without you.  _

**Baka, you have Kakashi?**

_ That is different. I love Kakashi. He’s the most important person in the world to me, but you and I have always been together… I mean like, ALWAYS ‘tebayo! I don’t even know what I would do if I couldn’t talk to you anymore.  _

Kurama put his head on his paws and closed his eyes. He felt a deep sense of peacefulness settle inside his heart. He felt the same. Maybe things really had changed for them both over the past 18 years. They had resented each other. Naruto had feared and hated him and Kurama wanted to kill that stupid child out of spit and revenge, because he thought that he could never forgive the Yondaime, who had sealed him inside that helpless baby.   
Looking back at their life now, he still felt a lot of old resentment and hate for the Yondaime, Madara and many other humans, who had treated him and the other Bijuu like weapons, but he knew now that there were good people too.   
The world had changed a lot, and he would try to see it with new eyes. He would try to protect this new world for this boy that had freed him and his siblings. Kurama could hear Naruto’s soft giggle when he wrapped his warm golden Chakra around his little Jinchuriki. It was just a little gesture of comfort and love between them. 

_ Hihi, Kuramaaaa, Matatabi was right, you are a huge softy.  _

**TS! Watch it kid.**

Naruto laughed out loud and rolled around on the Futon. He rubbed his belly and giggled uncontrollably. 

*

When Kakashi heard the noises from their bedroom he thought that Naruto might be awake and that he would be up soon, but when the blond didn’t leave the bedroom, he turned to watch the door. Suddenly he could hear loud laughter and Kakashi blinked a few times. 

_ Maybe he’s talking with Kurama?  _

Kakashi opened the bedroom door and peaked inside. He saw Naruto rolling around on the Futon, rubbing his seal and giggling like crazy. Kakashi leaned against the door and watched his beloved blond whirlwind for a moment. The happy laughter was like music in his ears and he didn’t want to interrupt whatever conversation he might have with Kurama. 

“NO! I promise… Haha! Kurama I  _ promise  _ I will not tell Shukaku!” Naruto snorted and rolled onto his side. He pressed his face into Kakashi’s pillow. Kakashi could see that Naruto’s body was trembling with suppressed laughter. 

Kakashi coughed and made Naruto aware that he was being watched. He immediately turned around on the Futon and stared into Kakashi’s mismatched eyes. The silver haired Jonin watched him with an amused glint in his eyes. “So… Should I leave you two alone for a while? Seems like you are having fun.” 

“Ah! Kakashi! Noooo! Stay!” His hands eagerly reached for Kakashi. “We were just talking and Kurama was just making fun of me.” Naruto giggled. Kakashi moved closer to Naruto. The blond was still just in his sleeping pants that Kakashi had helped him put on last night. 

He was so glad to see Naruto in high spirits again. Even though he was sure that what had happened last night was still weighing heavily on Naruto’s mind. He kneeled on the Futon and let Naruto pull him into his arms. He fell onto the soft blankets and Kakashi rolled onto his back so he could quickly pull the blond on top of him. Naruto snuggled closer and buried his face in Kakashi’s chest. Obviously Kakashi had been awake and up for quite some time. The Jonin was dressed in black track pants and a light black shirt. He also smelled very good like he had just showered, and Naruto noted that Kakashi’s hair was still slightly damp. 

“When did you get up?” Naruto asked. His hands were softly brushing through the wet silver hair.

“A few hours ago. It’s past 12:30 you know?” Kakashi chuckled. “I didn’t want to wake you. I thought that you might need the sleep.” His hands lazily moved over Naruto’s bare back. 

“Thank you. I was really very tired. Did you take a shower? You smell like…” He sniffed at Kakashi’s neck. “Strawberries. Kakashi, did you use my shower lotion?” He giggled. 

Kakashi blushed. “Maybe?” He actually liked Naruto’s shower lotion. He had always used it when Naruto was away with Gai and the others. The smell of the sweet shower lotion reminded him of Naruto. 

Naruto snuggled deeper into Kakashi’s arms and pressed a kiss against the pale neck. “You smell nice.” He whispered dreamingly. Naruto closed his eyes again and relaxed in Kakashi’s arms. He had been worried about how their relationship would evolve when they were away from the stress and noises of battle, but when he felt Kakashi’s tender touch on his back now he reflected that maybe he had been worried for nothing? Kakashi’s hands were travelling over his skin and gently moved in soothing patterns over his back and his shoulders. He had been tense, but maybe he shouldn’t think about this too much and just let this  _ unfold _ . Let it all happen naturally – whatever that means.    
His cheek pressed against Kakashi’s chest and he rubbed his face against the soft material of Kakashi’s shirt. His eyes were closed, and it felt like all his other senses were heightened. The way Kakashi felt under his hands was more defined, the way he smelled was more intense and he wished he could just lay like this for the rest of the day and just  **feel** Kakashi.

“You shouldn’t fall asleep again, love. You should  _ eat  _ something.” Kakashi brushed through the soft blond hair and gently kissed Naruto’s head. “I made you some breakfast – though lunch would be more accurate right now.” 

Naruto hummed a little irritated when Kakashi pulled away and pulled Naruto off the Futon. “Come on. Let’s get some food inside you.” 

*

On their way to the kitchen Naruto made sure to grab one of Kakashi’s old shirts and casually pulled it over his head. The shirt was a little baggy on his slender body but that didn’t really matter. It smelled like Kakashi and that was nice. He sat down at the table and watched Kakashi put some fish and rice in front of him. Actually, he felt really hungry and he was glad that Kakashi prepared the food for him. “Thank you!” He dug into his late breakfast and moaned happily when he swallowed the first bite. It almost felt like they were back in their old routine, before he had to leave the village. Just when they moved in together. Kakashi would prepare their dinner most of the time and they would eat together. Naruto stopped munching on the fish and smiled at Kakashi tenderly. “I am so happy that we are back home.” He stated. 

Kakashi looked at him and with a crooked smile he simply nodded. “Me too. It feels good to be back.” 

It did feel good to be back, but also a little weird. Would they find a new rhythm now that they were back in Konoha? He took another bite of his rice and slowly chewed on his food. Would they go on dates? Sometimes he had listened to Sakura-chan and the other girls when they had talked about boys when the teams had a free evening and hung out at the BBQ Restaurant or somewhere. They girls always talked about what they would like to do with their boyfriends when they had one or where they would like to go, what it would be like to have someone and so on. Naruto chewed on a piece of fish and remembered all the things that he had listened to.    
They guys were laughing of course, and he tried to be cool and laughed as well, but the truth was that he really wanted to sit with the girls and ask them what to do on a date, and how to behave in such situations.    
He loved all his friends and he enjoyed having a good laugh with Choji and Kiba and the other guys, but sometimes he wished he could just spend an evening with Sakura, Ino and the other girls and ask all those things. Maybe he simply should … ask them? Maybe it wasn’t so bad to just hang out with the girls? Maybe he shouldn’t care so much what other people think and just do what he wanted and what made him happy?    
He took another bite of the fish. Kakashi really was an amazing cook. The food tasted really good. While he was munching on his ‘breakfast’ he enjoyed the peace and quiet and tried to think about ways to ask Sakura if he would be allowed to join the girls on a night out. 

“You want some more?” 

He blinked a little confused. “What?” 

“Did I wake you from a daydream, Naruto?” Kakashi asked and grinned at him. 

“Maahh. I’m sorry. I was just thinking about Sakura-chan and the others.” Naruto blushed. 

“They are back in the village by now.” Kakashi answered. “If that’s what you’re worried about.”

Naruto nodded as he took in the information. He hadn’t even thought about what had happened after Kurama had taken them back home, which brought him back to the present. “That’s good to know. Did you go shopping in the morning while I was sleeping?” He happily munched on his food and looked at Kakashi.

“No, Shizune came over while you were asleep. She brought over some supplies and wanted to know how we are doing. I told her that you needed more rest but other than that you are fine. She told me that Tsunade wants to see us as soon as possible. I guess it’s about Sasuke’s and Obito’s burial, since they were the last Uchiha and their bloodline ended with them, there will be a lot to talk about… Someone needs to take care of the Uchiha burial rites.” Kakashi stopped talking for a moment and watched Naruto’s reactions carefully. “I’d understand if you didn’t want to –“ 

“I’m alright. I mean - I am not ok. Urg…” he squeezed his eyes shut. He put his chopsticks down and buried his face in his hands. For a moment they sat at the table and the room was buzzing with a heavy atmosphere. Naruto dropped his hands into his lap and looked at Kakashi’s worried face. “What I meant to say was that right now I am not ok, because I am grieving… You were right last night. I feel so much anger and sadness and I have to be more open about this. Sasuke was important to me and I have to admit that right now I feel like there’s a hole in my chest, but… Sasuke saved my life. He protected me. He told me something very important before he died, and I will never forget that.” He sniffed and quickly wiped some fresh tears from his eyes. Kakashi smiled gently at him. “I want to come with you when you see Tsunade. If you talk about Sasuke and Obito I want to be there. I  **need** to be there. If there is anything that I can do for him…” 

Kakashi reached for Naruto’s hand that was resting on the table. “I understand. We will do this together.” 

“I also want to be there for you. I am not the only one who has lost someone.” Naruto quietly said. Kakashi gravely nodded and squeezed Naruto’s hand gratefully for his support. They had both lost someone important and they would hold and support each other in this. Naruto smiled when their hands entwined. With Kakashi by his side he would be able to do this. 

“Did Shizune say anything else? Is everyone back? Are they taking care of the wounded? What about the Bijuu? We should go and see them today!” Naruto started babbling again when too many thoughts started blurring together in his mind. 

“Naruto wait, not so fast.” Kakashi chuckled. “Yes, everyone is back, and the wounded get treatment at the hospital. She hasn’t said anything about the Bijuu, I guess that Kotetsu and Izumo delivered your message to Tsunade-sama and there were no problems, but we will ask her.” Kakashi didn’t quite believe that there were no problems at all, but he didn’t want Naruto to worry about the Bijuu, he knew how much they meant to the blond. “We should probably finish eating and get dressed. The sooner we get ready and see Tsunade-sama the sooner we get all the answers.”

Naruto eagerly nodded and hurriedly finished his late breakfast. 

*

When they had finished their meal, Naruto quickly cleaned up so they could get dressed and leave their cozy little apartment to face the world again. Naruto was weirdly excited to go outside and see everyone. He wanted to make sure that all his friends were ok and that everyone got back home alive and healthy.    
He was also looking forward to seeing Tsunade, Shizune, Sakura and Iruka- …. Sensei. Now that was a wake-up call. Iruka-Sensei should be back as well. What would he say when he found out about his relationship? Would he approve? He listened to Kakashi fiddle with his keys as he locked the door. Somehow, he was kind of nervous all of a sudden. Of course, he was excited and happy because he was in love and he wanted to show everyone in the village that he loved Kakashi but, he also hoped that everyone would be happy for them as well. 

“Come on, we should go.” Kakashi told him and pulled him along as they started to move. 

“Sure.” 

They walked down the quiet street, side by side and Naruto enjoyed this wonderful peaceful moment with his boyfriend. He smiled. He couldn’t believe that he was in an actual relationship with Kakashi. “Hehe.” 

Kakashi turned around and looked at Naruto, who was blushing and grinning from ear to ear. “Thinking about something nice?” 

“Oh, just…you know.” He blushed even more. 

“Maybe you are thinking about more elaborate ways to tie me to a bed? Maybe we should go back home and I can show you –“ 

“Aahhhh!! Kakashi! You really shouldn’t talk about such things in the middle of the street in broad daylight!”

Kakashi felt amused. “Oh! Does that mean the problem is not the topic of our conversation but the place? Maybe we should only discuss this in private. You know… at home…  _ in our bedroom _ ?” Kakashi chuckled and winked at Naruto. Kakashi’s face was covered by his mask but there was something lewd in the way he looked at Naruto and the blonde’s face turned bright red and he started stuttering. “What? Bedroom? Are you mad!?” They walked on and their light banter went on for a little while. 

When Naruto laughed and giggled at Kakashi’s stupid Icha Icha jokes he could feel Kurama’s warm Chakra happily bubble up inside him. It wrapped around him like a comforting embrace.    
Having Kakashi and Kurama so close was all he would ever need to be completely happy.    
He could hear Kurama’s quiet content purr in the back of his mind, that reminded him of the grumpy old foxes’ presence. After Kurama’s words he thought a lot about the special bond he shared with Kurama and he felt just the same as the old grumpy fox. Kurama was like family to him. Someone that had seen him at his best and at his worse. He had always been there since his childhood. He had been there when no one else was. Even if he didn’t know about Kurama at that time but looking back at it now… he could have died so many times without the Bijuu’s protection. They had been through a lot together. He couldn’t deny that they didn’t like each other in the past. He might have even hated each other at some point, but that was in the past now. 

**Don’t think too much about it, kid.**

_ You have always protected me, haven’t you Kurama?  _

The Bijuu fell quiet but Naruto could hear the frustrated grumbling in the back of his mind. He smiled and rubbed his hand over the seal. 

_ How can I not think about it?  _

**Hm… Don’t make a big deal out of it. I just couldn’t watch how those cruel humans treated you when you were just a small child…**

_ But I want to make a big deal about this. You are my family Kurama. _

Kurama squeezed his eyes shut. This stupid little human. He remembered his father’s words that a young Sage would be born one day, and he would fight all the hate in this world.

_ ‘He will even touch your heart Kurama. I am sure of it. Try to be open minded and let him inside your heart. Not all humans are bad.’  _

Kurama could still hear the old Rikudo Sennin’s words that he told Kurama shortly before he died. He had seen so much war, hate and pain in his long life, but when Naruto smiled at him and called him family, his old heart filled with hope and peace again. Like it once did before – so many centuries and millennia ago. His head rested on his paws and his eyelids closed in a relaxed and calm manner. Naruto was his family now. Rikudo Sennin had been right.    
Everything would be alright. He was home now. 

Naruto felt a peacefulness and warmth in Kurama’s Chakra that had never been there before. He hadn’t expected Kurama to answer him but feeling this fundamental change in Kurama’s Chakra was all he needed to know.    
Kakashi turned to face him with a confused expression, but it seemed like the Jonin understood immediately when he just moved closer to Kakashi and gently reached for his hand. Their shoulders lightly brushed against each other as they turned down the next street that would lead them to the main street of Konoha. The autumn sun was shining down on them and Naruto enjoyed the warmth that was seemingly all around him. Naruto felt like this was going to be a good day.

*

He smiled at Kakashi, who was about to take Naruto's hand tenderly in his own when suddenly an angry man bumped into them. It seemed like the guy tried to bump into Kakashi on purpose. Their shoulders touched and the man stopped. He growled at Kakashi aggressively and looked at him like he wanted to fight the Jonin any second. Naruto stared at the horrifying scene that was unfolding in front of him in just a few seconds. The man was wearing a Konoha shinobi uniform, but Naruto was sure that he had never seen the man before, but it was apparent that Kakashi knew him. Maybe he had been in a division that Kakashi had once served? Maybe an Ex-Anbu? The guy growled at Kakashi again and slowly his eyes moved from Kakashi to Naruto. His whole body language was that of a predator. 

“You should be ashamed of yourself Hatake!” 

Naruto gasped in shock when he realized what this confrontation was going to be about. He wanted to step forward and do something and tell that guy to get lost, but as he took a step forward Kakashi’s hand pushed him back. He looked at Kakashi with questioning eyes. “Kakashi …?” He could feel the tension radiating from the two men. 

“I heard some gossip traveling around the village. Is it true?” 

Kakashi groaned. He had hoped that they could have a few more days of peace, but it seemed like they were not granted that and he would have to deal with this as quickly as possible. He looked at his colleague from his Anbu days and brushed his hand lazily through his hair. 

Kyou had served on many Anbu missions with him. He was a professional, calm, and collected shinobi, but when it came to rules and his worldviews, he was very strict and … ‘old fashioned’. Kakashi had always seen Kyou as a person who he could trust on a mission to always have his back, but he often had to criticize and reprimande him about the way his comrade had behaved with other colleagues and even with clients at times, that had other opinions or worldviews than him. 

“It depends on what kind of gossip you were listening to, Kyou.” Kakashi tried to stay calm. He lazily shoved his hands into the pockets of his pants and slightly shifted from one foot to the other. 

Kyou snorted and looked over Kakashi’s shoulder to where Naruto stood. He stared at the blond shinobi who’s angry heated glare was fixed on him. Kyou took a few steps forward and when he was directly in front of Kakashi he grabbed the Jonin’s jacket. “I heard you sleep with your students.” He stared down at Kakashi who’s grim star never left Kyou’s angry face. “I heard you like them  _ young  _ now.” Kyous tongue clicked when he put emphasis on  _ ‘like’ _ . His jaw moved forward and it made his face grow dangerous and ugly. The tension between them was tangible and neither dared to move.

Kakashi knew that not everyone would be as enthusiastic and happy about their relationship as Gai, Yugao and Hayate. When Kyou suddenly took hold of his Jacket he tried to contain his anger that anyone would even  _ think,  _ that he would lay a finger on Naruto or any of his students, when they were still his Genin. There were strict rules that protected Genin from any sexual advances or sexual harassment from shinobi in higher positions. Kyou gritted his teeth and growled at the other man. Kakashi finally had enough and grabbed the hands that were aggressively pulling on his vest. “Is that what you’ve heard?” He groaned and slapped the hands away. 

“Yes. Is it true? Did you touch the boy when he was your student? Are your disgusting porn books not enough anymore? Do you need the real thing now? Are you - ” Kyou couldn’t finish his outrageous accusations because Kakashi punched his face. Kakashi’s fist made contact with Kyou’s jaw.    
An ugly cracking sound followed Kyou’s pained scream, which indicated that Kakashi had broken the Jonin’s jaw. Naruto couldn’t believe what was happening in front of his eyes. Kyou fell to the ground and Kakashi kneeled over him and hit him again and again. “Say that again!! Come on, say it!”

Naruto rushed over to Kakashi and tried to pull him away from the other Jonin. He wrapped his arms around Kakashi’s body and pulled the silver haired man away from the beaten up Jonin. “Kakashi! Stop it! STOP IT! Do you want to break his nose as well?!”

Kyou was sprawled on the ground. His jaw was definitely broken, and his right eye was starting to swell up as well. There was an ugly dark spot on his right cheek and Naruto looked at the two Jonin in shock. He had never seen Kakashi like that… “What the hell?!” Naruto screamed. Nobody dared to say anything. Kakashi took a few steps back and was breathing hard. Kyou was still laying on his back on the dusty road. Naruto looked at Kakashi who didn’t dare to look at Naruto. The blond kneeled down next to Kyou and started to heal the beaten up Jonin. His healing Chakra was slowly flowing over the bruised jaw, his cheek and his right eye. His hands were softly glowing with Kurama’s golden Chakra.

“Kyou-san, I don’t know you, but I wish you wouldn’t listen to such horrible gossip. Kakashi was my Sensei, it’s true, but he never, NEVER, touched me in any indecent way when I was his genin student. We started this relationship just recently and this isn’t yours or anyone’s business but ours.” Naruto could feel that the bruises on Kyou’s body were healing quite nicely. Kyou looked at Naruto a little shocked, apparently because the warm healing Chakra was still flowing through his body. Naruto’s hands were still hovering over his cheeks. Kyou was unable to speak when he watched Naruto move so naturally through the motions of taking care of someone wounded but he could also see something haunted in his young eyes. 

“How dare you or anyone talk bad about Kakashi? You say that he should be ashamed? What for? –“ He stared down at the older shinobi who tried to say something but Naruto didn’t let him. “For being in love with me? Are you telling me that I am someone that Kakashi should be ashamed for?” He stopped and stared angrily at Kyou. “ **You** should be ashamed for even talking shit like that. Kakashi is the most  **honorable** man in this village! Dattebayo!”

Kyou swallowed hard and wanted to say something when he realized that Naruto wasn’t finished with his rant. The blond quickly turned around and started angrily shouting at Kakashi. “And  **you** …! What the hell was that about? Is that how we are going to solve problems now? Punching people in the face?” Naruto went over to Kakashi and immediately took care of Kakashi’s hand. 

Kyou watched them banter for a moment. His jaw and his entire face hurt like hell even though Naruto had healed the bruises and his broken jaw. Kakashi had really punched him hard. He might have to go to the hospital. 

*

Last night when his friends returned from the front, they decided to celebrate together and went to one of the bars in Konoha. It had been such a long time since they had anything to celebrate and everyone was happy to be together again. They started retelling all the stories of the battles and what they had seen. He was happy that everyone had returned healthy and alive and that he was reunited with his friends.

Later that night when Hayate and Yugao joined them at the bar, they started talking about how much Kakashi had changed since he finally was in a relationship. Most of them had either served with Kakashi in Anbu, on some mission or in Kakashi’s and Gai’s troop during the battle and were proud of their comrades. He had led them through a very dangerous battle and everyone was back home safely because of him.

“Of course we need to thank Naruto-kun too!” One of them called from the other side of the table.

“Yes! Man, did you see how he took that one Edo-Tensei guy? I mean, he crashed it! Maybe he’ll spar with me once?” 

“With you? You wanna get your ass whipped? Haha! Naruto is probably the strongest Shinobi of the five nations now!” 

A young shinobi shyly chuckled and took a sip from his sake. “I was so glad that Uzumaki-san was with us. He healed my arm when one of the enemies broke it. I was… kinda scared of those Edo-Tensei shinobi. I think Uzumaki-san was really awesome.” Since he was the youngest on the table, he felt the need to be very formal. Naruto was a hero in his eyes and he really looked up to both Naruto and Kakashi. Since he had seen Naruto arrive on the battlefield and save them all and be so open with his feelings for Kakashi, he knew that there was a place for people like him in the village too. He would try to be just as brave as Naruto and try to find love as well. 

An older shinobi who sat next to him encouragingly patted his back. “It was your first battle situation young friend. Being scared of something is no shame; it shows your true strength and your potential to grow! I guess we can all agree that we were very grateful when Naruto-kun showed up.” He chuckled lewdly. “Especially Kakashi.” Everyone laughed at that comment.

Kyou was confused. He didn’t know anything about a woman in Kakashi’s life. Wouldn’t that be shinobi gossip Nr.1? He turned to Yugao while everyone was still making weird jokes and innuendos that he didn’t understand. “Yugao-san, I am sorry. I didn’t quite catch that. Kakashi is in a relationship? Who is the lucky woman if I may ask?” Even though he tried to ask Yugao quietly everyone heard his question and started chuckling, whistling and clapping. 

“There is no woman.” She giggled. Another shinobi on the end of the table took a sip from his sake and chuckled deeply. “It’s Naruto! Can you believe it? They are dating! What a match!” Everyone made approving noises. “Maybe our Rokudaime is dating our Nanadaime now!” More whistling was heard around the bar. The young shinobi smiled happily. “They really seemed happy together. I think Hatake-san is really very much in love with Uzumaki-san. I hope I will find someone like that too someday.” He leaned forward and looked a little dreamy. The other shinobi filled his cup. “Ahhh, young love is something wonderful. War is over now! You will find someone too!”

Hayate took the sake bottle and poured himself and his wife some more sake. “I think that Naruto will be good for Kakashi. He seemed so happy; don’t you think Yugao?” 

“Yes.” Yugao sighed dreamingly. “And it was clear that Naruto is head over heels for Kakashi, right?” She giggled again when she took another sip from the sake. “That’s nice. Will you pour me a little bit more, dear?” 

Hayate chuckled. Yugao always got flirty with him when she was drunk. “Of course, love.” He looked at his beautiful wife and smiled when she blushed. He would probably have to carry her home tonight, but that was fine. They were back home, and they were alive. Tonight, they would celebrate, and he would carry Yugao back to their apartment and make sure that she was safely tucked in their bed. He would take care of her and when she was safely asleep in their bed, he would curl around his beloved Yugao and finally fall asleep as well. 

“Excuse me, Yugao-san, Hayate-san… You surely don’t mean that. Kakashi is with Naruto… in a relationship?” He swallowed. This wasn’t right. “What does the Hokage say about this? Isn’t she very close to Naruto-kun? What about Iruka-Sensei? They are very close too, aren’t they? I can’t imagine that they would approve of such a relationship. It’s simply outragous. Kakashi is 13 years older. He was his Sensei after all. This … This doesn’t seem right.”

Yugao put down her cup and looked at the other Jonin. They had spent much time together when they were on active duty in Anbu and she knew that Kyou was easily confused or appalled by relationships that defied heteronormative stereotypes. Kakashi’s relationship with a 13-year younger man must be something that deeply confused and shocked the other Jonin. 

“Kyou… if you want to talk…” She tried and reached out for him, but he refused and abruptly got up. His dark brown hair was shining in the light of the restaurant. He fiddled with his uniform and groaned uncomfortable. “It’s not right you know that!” he yelled. 

Everyone else on their table stared at the angry Jonin. They were confused by the sudden change in the light and funny atmosphere. The tension between Kyou and Yugao was tangible. Nobody in Kakashi’s troop at the front had any problems with the relationship. It truly was like Yugao had also explained to Naruto; Kakashi wasn’t the first Sensei who had started a relationship with one of his students after they got promoted to either Chunin or Jonin. Naruto may not be promoted to Chunin yet, but everyone thought that he was old enough to make his own decisions. And the people who had seen them together could see that Kakashi and Naruto truly had deep feelings for each other. Yugao stared at Kyou, who was breathing hard in frustration. He clenched his fist. 

“Kyou… Let me explain, please. Kakashi is no longer Naruto’s Sensei. He hasn’t been for quite some time. They only recently started this –“ 

“How do you know? Maybe this has been going on far longer and they kept it a secret?” 

“Are you mad?! Naruto is WAY too innocent… believe me, I talked with him. There is NO chance that anything happened between them when he was a Genin!!” Yugao yelled. She was getting mad now. She had had her differences with Kyou in the past, but this was outrageous. 

“It’s that porn. Maybe Icha Icha wasn’t enough anymore and he wanted something else. Someone young -“ 

“ **HOW DARE YOU?!** Kakashi was in Anbu with us! He protected  **us** ! He protected  **you** !” Yugao screamed at the Jonin on the other side of the table.

“That was back then… When I didn’t know that he was into kids!” 

Yugao screamed in anger and wanted to jump forward and punch Kyou, but Hayate held her back. Hayate felt just as angry and his body trembled with suppressed rage when he realized that Kyou didn’t stop sprouting his hateful nonsense. Not only that but he saw some other people in the bar turn around and their faces took a worried or thoughtful expression. They started talking and whispering in hushed voices. This wasn’t good. 

“You can’t really believe that shit, do you?!” Hayate yelled. “All of you know Kakashi and Naruto. Kakashi would  **never** do anything to hurt Naruto!” 

His idea of a peaceful and quiet evening was destroyed when their shouting match turned into a full-on fist fight. Didn’t they just get back from war?? What the hell… 

*

After last night's fights with Yugao and Hayate, he had left the bar and had walked around the village aimlessly until the sun came up and he had decided to go back home. He had slept a few hours, but it was a very unpeaceful sleep which was haunted by nightmares and he woke up just four hours later with a horrible headache and decided to get up. He took some medicine and went for a walk. He walked around the village and saw a few shinobi who had been at the bar last night. Some turned away from him immediately with worried or contemplative looks. Some even looked angry and changed the street as soon as they saw him. Kyou was confused for a moment but walked on. 

Hayate had slapped him across the face when Kyou said that the relationship between Naruto and Kakashi should be terminated as soon as possible. 

_ ‘Someone should save that poor boy.’  _ Hayate’s slap stung on his cheek _.  _

_ ‘Listen to yourself, man!! Are you the moral standard here now?! Are you going to decide who is allowed to fall in love with someone or not?! Not every relationship works in your superstitious old stereotypical ways! If they would, Yugao would have never married me!! She’s a strong alpha woman, while I’m more of a slow working, lazy guy, but still, I love my Yugao more than anything. We have so many couples in Konoha that are complete opposites. You should be more careful with the things you say, Kyou-san.’ _ Hataye gritted his teeth angrily. 

Yugao quietly stepped closer to him and gently touched his arm _. ‘You may be lazy but that was one hell of a speech. I am so hot for you right now Hayate.’ _ Hayate blushed a little bit. 

He had never thought of Yugao’s and Hayate’s relationship as something that people might consider  _ not stereotypical _ . He felt very confused. As he walked through the village and the angry, confused, and worried looks from the other villagers and shinobi followed him, he wasn’t so sure about his initial opinions anymore. He angrily turned around and went down the main street when he suddenly saw the happy couple walk hand in hand in some distance. His mind went blank. His face went blank and his lips started to tremble in a fruitless attempt to suppress the anger and disgust. He hated them. He wasn’t sure why.

He felt his anger and irritation peak when he bumped into Kakashi. 

*

Kyou watched them for a few more moments before he angrily got up and brushed off the dust from his perfectly pressed uniform. He didn’t say ‘thank you’ or anything further to Naruto for healing his bruises. He turned around and tried to leave them. 

Naruto watched as the angry Jonin tried to leave them and quickly followed him. “Kyou-san, please wait for a moment.” 

Kyou felt the anger spike immediately when he heard Naruto’s joyful and kind voice call for him. He didn’t want to look at the blond. He didn’t want to see Kakashi’s face. Naruto’s kind voice pulled him back to the present and he slowly turned around to look at the young shinobi. Naruto reached for Kyou but the Jonin slapped his hand away. “Don’t touch me.” He gritted out and decided that it would be better to simply walk away. After the confrontation with Yugao and Hayate last night and his fight with Kakashi just now, he thought that it would probably be better if he went back home for the time being. 

Naruto didn’t stop the other man this time and watched him go. He felt helpless and confused about whatever just happened here. He understood that not everyone would be as excited as Sakura-chan or as enthusiastic and helpful as Gai-Sensei. Naruto just hadn’t believed that someone would be so completely against them being together like Kyou-san. Naruto just realized that he really was inexperienced in many things… He had never been confronted with something like this. 

He had seen the hatred in people’s eyes because he was a Jinchuriki, but he had never seen someone so openly hate someone else because they were in love with a person they wouldn’t approve of. That seemed wrong in his mind. He stood there, in the middle of the street and stared after the Jonin who angrily stomped away. 

***


	41. Shinobi Gossip part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 2 of shinobi gossip

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: this chapter deals with homophobia.  
> Let Tsunade take care of this. Dattebayo.

Kakashi had been quiet and slowly made his way over to Naruto. He couldn’t look at the blond. Naruto tried to see what was going in Kakashi’s mind, but the silver haired man was keeping his thoughts and his feelings to himself. Naruto was worried. “Kakashi? Talk to me…” 

Kakashi didn’t quite know what to say. He was angry and tense.    
This was one of the few things that originally kept him from starting anything with Naruto in the first place. This encounter with Kyou made him think about his anxiety again, why his feelings for the blond might be wrong and why he shouldn’t be in this relationship. Maybe he had pushed Naruto into this. He felt guilty again and he tried to bury all those feelings deep in his chest when he saw Naruto’s sweet blue eyes look up at him. “It’s nothing. Let’s go. Tsunade-sama is waiting.” 

Naruto reached for Kakashi’s hand but Kakashi pulled his hand away. Naruto gasped quietly and let his eyes drop to the street in front of him. Something was wrong after all – he knew it. Why wouldn’t Kakashi just say what it was? It must have something to do with their encounter with Kyou-san. He cringed and bit his lip in worry. Kakashi should know by now that he wasn’t experienced in this… Why couldn’t he just tell him what the hell was going on, ‘tebayo!? They had promised each other no more secrets! They walked in tense silence and Naruto felt how his insides were crunching up in pain. Kakashi’s hands were in his pockets and he had his head demonstratively turned away from Naruto. It almost felt like they were only coincidently walking into the same direction. They reached the improvised Hokage office, since the new Hokage Tower was still under construction. It would take a few more weeks for the tower to be ready for Tsunade to move in again. Maybe even longer since Yamato-taicho wasn’t back yet. Naruto winced as he realized that he would have to talk to Gai-Sensei and Aoba-san as soon as possible about a rescue mission for Yamato-taicho. Finally, they were back home and there were hundreds of things that were going on. He felt like his head would explode any second. 

They were just outside of Tsunade’s office and Kakashi got ready to knock but Naruto wasn’t by his side anymore. He turned around and realized that Naruto had stopped a few feet away from him. The blond’s gaze was fixed on the ground. “Naruto?” 

Naruto heard Kakashi call for him but he was captured in his own dark thoughts. Tsunade would probably want to talk to them about Sasuke’s burial and there was still the matter of saving Yamato-taicho. He would have to meet Iruka-Sensei sooner or later and after this incident with Kyou-san just a few minutes ago, he was afraid of what Iruka-Sensei might think of his relationship. Kakashi was strangely distant all of a sudden and he didn’t understand what the hell was going on in his mind.    
He also needed to tell Gaara and Bee that Gyuuki and Shukaku would return to them soon. He realized that they might be back in Konoha now… but he wouldn’t have a single moment of peace for the next few weeks. 

“Naruto?” Kakashi tried again to call for the blond. 

Naruto looked up and their eyes met. 

Kakashi saw the insecurity and the sadness in the beautiful blue eyes.  _ What have I done? _ He had been so busy with his own guilt and his own thoughts that he hadn’t realized what that would probably do to Naruto. He groaned and immediately took Naruto into his arms. “I am sorry. I… “ He stopped himself and buried his face into the soft blond locks. “I let his words get to me.” 

Naruto wrapped his arms around Kakashi. “What? Why? I don’t understand.” 

“When I kissed you that night before you left, I felt so guilty because I thought that maybe I took advantage of you. You were my student after all. Maybe not at that time, but…” Kakashi could feel Naruto snuggle closer. “I would never forgive myself if I hurt you.” 

Naruto smiled and pressed his face in Kakashi’s chest. “You have never taken advantage of me. Baka.” He looked up and their eyes met. Kakashi gently caressed his soft cheek. Naruto wished that they were back in their apartment. He wanted Kakashi to kiss him and hold him. He wanted to show Kakashi how much he loved him. “You could only hurt me if you left me, because you are everything to me Kakashi.” The Jonin let his thumb trace the whiskered marks on Naruto’s cheeks. “Does it really matter that you were my Sensei and that I was your student?” Naruto smiled at him and Kakashi felt himself relax.

“No… It doesn’t matter.” Kakashi whispered. He quickly looked around. Nobody was around, it seemed that they were the only ones that needed to see Tsunade. Naruto watched him with confusion and also looked around. “What is it? What are you looking for?” While Naruto was looking down the alley between the interim Hokage office and the main street Kakashi hurriedly pulled his mask down. Just when Naruto turned back to look at him, he pulled the fabric down over his lips and his chin. Naruto stared at him and started to giggle. He blushed a little when he saw Kakashi’s handsome face. That mole certainly did things to him. “Kakashi…” 

“Let me kiss you and make it up to you my love.” 

His body felt hot and cold at the same time when Kakashi pulled him flush against his strong body. The Jonin gently pressed his lips against his. He was sure that his lips were trembling a little bit. Naruto closed his eyes and let Kakashi take the lead of the kiss. He moved his lips softly against Naruto’s. His legs were starting to tremble when Kakashi’s tongue probed against his lips. He moaned and opened his lips. “Hmmm!” Kakashi’s right hand moved through his hair while his other hand was still caressing his cheek so softly that it made Naruto swoon a little. Kakashi was so soft and gentle with him, but sometimes in moments like this he wished they were alone… and when Kakashi moaned into his open mouth and their tongues rubbed and slid against the other he wished that Kakashi wouldn’t hold back so much. He wished that Kakashi wouldn’t be so soft with him all the time.    
He pressed his body against the Jonin and let his hands wander over Kakashi’s strong back and let his hands slowly drop lower and lower. Kakashi’s body was entirely made of hard muscles. Another low moan left Naruto’s lips and his hands finally reached Kakashi’s backside. His brain almost shut down when his hands groped Kakashi’s ass. 

Kakashi groaned heatedly when he felt Naruto’s hands on his ass. Damn he wanted to continue this, but he needed to pull away before he lost his mind and pulled those damn orange pants down and simply had his way with his cute little blond. He quickly pressed another loving kiss to Naruto’s swollen lips and moved away slightly. He was well aware that the sexual tension between them was getting crazy. He wanted to touch and kiss Naruto so much it was getting ridiculous and if the hard on that was tenting Naruto’s pants wasn’t an indicator for Naruto’s desire for him, he wasn’t sure what was. Kakashi licked his lips when he looked into Naruto’s eyes. The beautiful face of his lover was flushed with heat and desire and it made Kakashi highly aware that maybe he shouldn’t have initiated such a kiss just outside the Hokage office. He coughed and pulled away from Naruto. He brushed his hands through his silver hair. 

Why did Kakashi always initiate something like this when they were somewhere where they couldn’t go any further?! He groaned in frustration and shifted around to hide his obvious hard on. “Damn it Kakashi!” He hissed. “That kiss?! That was… That was -!! We need to see Tsunade and I am … I am -!!” His face was bright red, and his lips were swollen and red. He gestured to his pants that were very obviously tented with a hard on that he could never hide from Tsunade. 

Kakashi chuckled embarrassedly. He pulled his mask back over his lips and his nose and he was glad that he was able to hide his own flushed face. “I am sorry?” He quietly asked. 

“Yes yes…” Naruto groaned and tried to relax his body. “I see how sorry you are.” He chuckled.

“What were you thinking about before? Are you alright?” Kakashi asked and reached for Naruto’s hand. 

Naruto was so happy when he felt Kakashi’s hand in his. This was how it was supposed to be. They were not supposed to be separated. He was certain that Kakashi was still worried about certain things and how people might perceive them, and they might have to talk about this again.    
If he was honest with himself, he was a little afraid too after what happened today with Kyou-san, but that didn’t mean that he would lose his positive attitude about their relationship and the people of their village.    
If necessary, he would tell Kakashi again and again that he loved him and that he didn’t care about their age difference or what people might say about them.    
It simply was a fact that Kakashi had been his Sensei, but Yugao had told him that he was not the first Student who fell in love with his Jonin Sensei. He would tell him again and again – for the rest of their lives – because he would never let go of Kakashi’s hand ever again. 

_ That man is mine, Dattebayo. _

“I was just thinking about what had happened… I was thinking about what we need to talk about with Tsunade-baa-chan and I was thinking about Yamato-taicho. My head feels like it’s going to explode soon to be honest.” Naruto tried to laugh it off but all the things that were going on around them were quite overwhelming for the young man. 

“I see. I was worried for a moment.” Kakashi admitted. 

“That I would leave you standing here because you were on one of your stupid guilt trips? Naahh... I told you that you’ll never get rid of me again, ‘tebayo.” Naruto chuckled light heartedly. “Bakakashi.” He squeezed Kakashi’s hand and tenderly looked at the copy-nin. 

That was a true statement right there. He truly felt like a huge idiot at the moment. He upheld a certain reputation, and he was one of the strongest shinobi in the five nations, yet it only took one look or one touch from Naruto and he had to realize again that he was quite wrapped around Naruto’s little finger and he didn’t regret it one bit. “You know, before we go inside to talk with Tsunade about Sasuke and Obito and everything else, I want you to know something, Naruto. I don’t regret this. I really love you. I must admit though… I feel guilty sometimes. No- please let me finish. It’s just because I never want anything or anyone to hurt you and to imagine that I could be the one to hurt you or  **do** anything to hurt you troubles me. That’s why I reacted so strongly when Kyou said those things.” 

“But you never did anything of that sort. I don’t understand. You even sent me away to ‘examine my feelings and my heart’. I did and **I know** that I love you and that I want to be with you, Dattebayo! You never touched me in any way that he implied…So what’s the freaking deal? And do I really need to remind you that I am a horny 18-year-old and that you STILL HAVEN’T touched me? I am dying over here. Shit Kakashi, you kissed me on the battlefield like ‘get ready for action’ I mean… What the hell?” 

Kakashi chuckled and wrapped the blond in a tight embrace. “Maybe I did... I just can’t keep my hands off you.” 

“MAYBE? Are you kidding me? Dattebayo!” Naruto yelled. 

Suddenly the door was pulled open and a red faced angry Tsunade looked at them. Both men stared at the blond woman. Kakashi had a bad feeling. This was some kind of déjà vu. It reminded him of that awkward hospital moment when Tsunade walked in on them. “Tsunade-sama!” His voice sounded a little scared. Maybe he was… 

The Hokage looked furious. Her gaze was fixed on the copy-nin and her eyes were burning holes in his skull. Kakashi’s arms were still wrapped around Naruto and he felt reluctant to let go because being close to Naruto meant protection from the angry Hokage. 

“Baa-chan!” Naruto chirped happily. He obviously hadn’t caught onto the weird tension between Kakashi and Tsunade. The blond let go of Kakashi and jumped into Tsunade’s arms. “I missed you baa-chan! You look good. Are you feeling better?”

The furious glare on Tsunade’s face softened a little and her arms immediately wrapped around Naruto. She let her fingers brush through the blond hair and pulled the young man closer. “Yes, yes. I am fine. Where have you been? I was waiting for you two. Are you alright? How are you doing?” Tsunade wanted to berate them both for loudly discussing their love-life in front of her office. She fixed her glare back on Kakashi, who tried to avert her glare. She would definitely have a serious conversation with Kakashi later on. “Yes, I am doing much better. I had a good night’s sleep and Kakashi made breakfast for me.” He smiled up into Tsunade’s face which made her heart melt a little. She gently patted his head. “Aha, I see. Did he? Now then, come on inside. I was waiting for you two. We have a lot to discuss.” 

They moved inside her office and Tsunade sat behind her desk again. Naruto quickly followed Tsunade inside and he was already bombarding the Hokage with questions about Sakura-chan, Shikamaru, Neji and everyone else. Naruto sat down on one of the chairs in front of the desk. Kakashi decided to stand behind the blond. Kakashi was a little bit confused that they were alone with the Hokage. Shizune must be on one of her errands or something. Naruto was still questioning Tsunade enthusiastically and his face showed a little bit of a blush because he felt so excited to finally get more information about what had happened and how his friends were doing. Tsunade answered him patiently and Kakashi could see how much Naruto appreciated her honesty. It meant a lot to Naruto that finally all the secrets and the lies stopped and that all of them could speak openly with each other, but when he looked at Tsunade it seemed like the feeling was also mutual. “OH! Has anyone heard from Gai-Sensei and Aoba-san? Are they alright!?” Naruto asked.

Tsunade chuckled. “Gai-san, Aoba-san and the others will be back soon. There were some who were critically wounded. We had to wait until everyone was stable enough for transport, but I guess that their teams will be back in Konoha by tomorrow.” 

Naruto looked up into Kakashi’s face and smiled. That was good news. Now they only needed to get Yamato-taicho back, then their team would finally be together again. “What about Yamato-taicho.” Naruto immediately asked.

“I knew that you would ask about him.” she quietly said. She fiddled with her hands. 

“Why are you saying it like that? What’s wrong?” Naruto felt nervous.

“I don’t know how to tell you this, but… when Yamato was taken, I sent Anbu after him and Kabuto. All the teams I sent came back empty handed. We have no idea where Kabuto took him. He might be lost to us Naruto. Kabuto might have killed him. He might be – “ 

“NO! Yamato-taicho is alive!” Naruto stood up abruptly. The force of his movements made the chair fall over. “How can you say that? How can you simply give him up?!” 

“I am not giving Yamato up! I want Yamato to come home, but there is this possibility that I have to consider… For the time being I have to mark him MIA.” 

Naruto shook his head in disbelief and turned his head to Kakashi. The silver haired man looked at the ground with a sad and defeated look. This couldn’t be happening. “How can you do this. He’s your friend as well!! You two are abandoning him! Yamato-taicho is alive and he needs us!” The blond yelled and stormed outside. The door slammed shut when he left the office. 

Tsunade squeezed her eyes shut. She had hoped that maybe Naruto wouldn’t ask about Yamato today. There was so much they actually needed to talk about and now the blond had left. She looked at Kakashi. “I know that it might seem cruel, but we simply don’t have the resources right now to deploy a whole team to look for Yamato all over the five nations.” 

“I understand Hokage-sama.” There he was again. She knew that face and that posture. The perfect ninja. On the inside Kakashi might feel different and he might even hate her at the moment, but he would never show her how he truly felt. She was sure that Kakashi might even feel that Naruto was right and that they should deploy a search party to find Yamato immediately, but his feeling for duty and his loyalty spoke differently. 

“Of course.” She looked down at her desk. If she could, she would even go after Yamato herself, but it was not possible. “He’ll probably want to go after Yamato himself. I can’t make him stay.” She took in a long heavy breath. “But you can go with him and protect him. If anything happened to Naruto, I would never…” Tsunade quietly said. 

“Of course, Tsunade-sama. Don’t worry.” 

She bit her lip. “Good.” She shuffled around some papers and tried to collect herself. “There are other things that I need to talk about with you. The Uchiha burial. Shikamaru and the others have brought back the bodies of Uchiha Sasuke, Uchiha Obito and Uchiha Madara. I have already discussed certain things with the elders, but I actually wanted to discuss this with Naruto as well… We need someone to oversee the Uchiha burial rites. As you know the clan had a very strict ritual for their dead.” 

“I remember. Obito and Itachi-san told me about it.” 

They were quiet for a moment. Kakashi understood. Since he was Sasuke’s teacher, Obito’s teammate and wielder of the last Sharingan, it would only be logical that he would oversee the burial rites. “Does my Hokage and the council wish for me to oversee the rites?” 

“Yes. We do. We think that it would be appropriate since you have the last Sharingan. The bloodline of the Uchiha has ended. We have a team out there right now searching for Itachi’s body.” 

“Itachi-san?” 

“Yes. I promised Sasuke-kun that he would be laid to rest next to his brother.” 

Kakashi was quiet and somehow knowing that made a certain sense of peace come over him. “Itachi would be grateful, I think, knowing that he will be laid to rest in Konoha… next to his brother. There was nothing more important to Itachi-san than Sasuke. He was always only talking about him. How much he loved his brother and how proud he was of Sasuke.” Kakashi remembered Itachi’s soft voice and his gentle smiling face whenever the young man started speaking of his brother.

“Yes. I hope that they will find him soon. I need you to be prepared and please, talk to Naruto about Sasuke… and Yamato.” She felt like she was using Kakashi again, because she felt like she couldn’t handle Naruto’s strong feelings about Yamato. “I am sorry. I know I should talk to him.” 

“It’s alright. It’s just been a long day already… and he didn’t feel too well last night. You need to give him some time.” 

Tsunade’s brows drew together. “I don’t understand. You told Shizune that he just needed some rest and that he was fine?” 

Kakashi shifted from one foot to the other. He didn’t feel good telling Tsunade about Naruto’s panic attack. This was something intimate and maybe Naruto didn’t want Tsunade to know, but he was worried about his beloved and since it hadn’t been the first time, he thought that maybe Tsunade should know. She was a medic after all, and Naruto considered her family. “Well... I may have lied to Shizune because it’s kind of a private matter.” 

Tsunade leaned forward and put her hands on the wooden table. “Tell me. If something is wrong with him, I need to know. I need to be there for him.” She urged Kakashi on. 

“He had another panic attack because of Sasuke last night.” 

Tsunade gasped and stared at Kakashi in shock. “ _ Another _ ? What do you mean another?! How many did he have? Why has no one told me about this?” She stopped herself and thought about the information. “When you two were at the hospital after the fight with Sasuke… Why have you not said anything?!” She yelled at him. “I thought that he was only hurt by Sakura’s poisoned Kunai. But there was this whole other story going on before wasn’t it?”

Kakashi nodded. “Yes. We were in the land of iron and Gaara came to speak with Naruto about Sasuke and it really broke him. Yesterday was similar. He couldn’t breathe… I don’t know what to do. Sasuke’s attack on the Kage conference and his attack on the Hachibi must have triggered something inside Naruto and I guess it’s pretty obvious that this time …” 

“…Sasuke’s death triggered it.” Tsunade finished. “Do you think he will be alright though?” she tentatively asked. 

“I don’t know. I tried to avoid talking about Sasuke.” He admitted. “But I don’t think that avoiding Sasuke is the right way to handle things. He has to confront this eventually.”

Tsunade looked at him carefully. “How are you holding up Kakashi?” 

He shrugged. “I don’t know. Seeing Sasuke and Obito again was strange and painful. I don’t know how to feel. I am glad that I can lay Obito to rest and finally mourn him. We made our peace. Losing my student though…” He groaned. “You know very well that I had trouble with Sasuke. But It just feels unnatural burying a student.” Tsunade nodded and listened to Kakashi’s quiet words. “I think that Naruto will probably need much more time until he finds his peace with Sasuke’s death.” 

Tsunade buried her face in her hands. A pained groan left her body. She felt like crying somehow. She wished that she could take all that pain from her gaki’s shoulders but that was impossible. He would have to solve that problem by himself. “I understand. Well, we can only be there for him in this.” She brushed her hands over her tired face. “Before I let you go, I just have two more questions. One: The Bijuu are staying in our forests?” 

Kakashi laughed. “Yes. Naruto’s zoo is staying for a few days. My guess is that he is with the Bijuu right now. They love him. It’s quite endearing to be honest. Shukaku and Gyuuki are probably going back to Gaara and Bee though, but I guess when Naruto has calmed down, he will talk to you about this. The other Bijuu will only stay here for the time being until they have decided where they want to stay.” 

Tsunade nodded and her eyes went wide when she listened to Kakashi’s story. Somehow, she was glad that the Bijuu would only stay in Konoha temporarily. She didn’t want to separate them, but it could be potentially problematic with the other nations if Konoha decided to host all the Bijuu. “I see. That is good. What about the nine tails?”

“He’s with Naruto. They are quite close.” Kakashi smiled. “What else is on your mind Hokage-sama?” 

Tsunade slowly got up from her seat and went around her desk. She stood in front of him and he realized that she looked tired, like she hadn’t gotten much sleep last night. “Yugao and Hayate came to see me last night. They talked to me about a certain Ex-Anbu colleague of yours.” 

Kakashi groaned. 

Her eyebrow went up. “Did something happen?” She was curious. 

“We ran into Kyou on our way here. It was a little… violent to be honest, Hokage-sama.” 

“I see.” She said dejectedly. “Well. I don’t even know what to say. He has a history with teammates and clients for homophobic misbehavior. I read his files this morning and I saw that he was dishonorably discharged from Anbu because there was a violent conflict with a teammate?” 

Kakashi winced when he recalled that incident. “I wasn’t captain of the squad at that time, but Yugao and I were on the team with Kyou for a few months. There was another young woman with us on the team. She was tough, skilled and a good teammate. I was in a dark place back then, but she was always very kind to me and sometimes she brought me Onigiri that her partner made. They were such a kind couple. Kyou made fun of her and called her names. He had always been open about his worldview and his dislikes. I guess someday she just snapped and they started fighting – during a mission. It was clearly his fault because he couldn’t stay professional. The mission was a disaster.” 

Tsunade nodded. “I read that she was badly wounded?” 

“Yes. She almost died, but we were able to finish the mission successfully without casualties. When we got back to Konoha she retired from Anbu.” 

“I read that she retired completely from service and left the village. Her file reads ‘because of personal and political differences I feel unable to stay in this village that was my home’. I feel like the Sandaime might have been too lenient on this problem. I will look into his file again. I don’t want my shinobi to suffer under any kind of discrimination.” 

Kakashi bowed respectfully in front of her. A smile danced over his lips, hidden underneath his mask. “Thank you Hokage-same. Your shinobi are grateful.” 

“You can go now. I am sure that you have a lot to talk about with Naruto.” 

“Yes, Hokage-sama.” 

***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really didn't like to write Kyou... but he serves a purpose. Meh... :/ You can't love every character.. there got to be some mean guys...  
> I wanted to post those two chapters together because Kyou will come back at a later stage of the story, so watch out!
> 
> The next 6 chapters are important for Kakashi and Naruto and the relationship development :) Yeiii! <3   
> Also I guess you have realized that I LOVE KURAMA.   
> We will have much more Naruto, Kurama, Kakashi, Pack, bonding, family moments because... I need the fluff and love and I don't know how you feel about Kurama being gone in the Manga, but I am heartbroken.  
> So, please bear with me and my Kurama love. LOL


	42. Everything must come to an end part 1 about life and death

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gai and Aoba have returned to Konoha and the team is finally reunited.  
> They start talking about a rescue mission for Yamato.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This part of the story is split up in 6 chapters, because we are dealing with things that have to end at some point in life or could be considered as opposits: This is part 1/6 of the 'everything must come to an end' arc.
> 
> Life and death, love and sacrifices, endings and new beginnings and other difficult things in life...  
> Of course the Uchiha funerals (Sasuke, Itachi and Obito) will be a topic, bringing back Yamato, and other difficult decisions will also be discussed.  
> I hope you like it so far, your feedback really helps me in my writing process! When I'm stuck somewhere I like to re-read your comments and messages.  
> Thank you for reading, leaving comments or kudos. <3 I love you all :)

* * *

Naruto raced through the streets and over the roofs of the village. Adrenaline was pumping through his veins. He felt so angry he could barely contain his rage. He huffed and tried to run a little faster. 

**Naruto you should calm down.**

_I don’t want to calm down!_

Naruto finally reached the outskirts of the village. He jumped over the gates and the protective wall that surrounded the village. When he felt the hard earthy ground under his feet a loud ‘PUFF’ kind of startled him for a moment. Kurama suddenly appeared next to him. The bright orange fur shimmered in the early afternoon sun. The fox stood in front of the Jinchuriki and looked at him with a worried glare. “If you don’t want to be calm, that’s fine… but at least be angry with me around so I can keep an eye on you, kid.” 

Naruto kicked a stone in front of him and angrily walked back and forth. He stopped and huffed. He grumbled around and kicked the ground again. Kurama sat some distance away and watched the young man closely. His nine tails were wagging around, and his ears were twitching at every sound. Naruto stopped moving. He stood still for a moment and simply looked into the sky. 

“Kurama?” 

“Yes?” 

“When I woke up, I thought this day would go totally different.” 

The fox walked over to where Naruto stood and pushed his nose against the blond’s belly where their shared seal was. Naruto looked down and smiled sadly. He sat down on the ground and let Kurama curl around him. His nine tails were fluffy and warm, and Naruto was snuggling into Kurama’s warm fur. “I just thought that maybe now everything would change, you know?”

Kurama let Naruto put his arms around his body and soon he could feel the tears soak his fur. He suddenly felt a strong sense of protectiveness surge through him. “Don’t worry kid, just give it some time. It will be ok. You will see.” 

“How? Sasuke is dead, that Kyou guy was awful and now Yamato-taicho is MIA. That means that Tsunade-baa-chan has given up on him. Dattebayo.” 

Kurama felt Kakashi’s Chakra signature approach them and he was glad that the Jonin had used his brain to follow them to the woods. Naruto had always run into the wood when he was upset since he’d been a child. Seems like Kakashi had remembered that. “You will see that things might not seem that horrible when you let people talk and let them give you all the necessary information. Try to be more patient and open up. You will see that sometimes things are not as they seem. About the Kyou guy, you knew that not everyone would celebrate your relationship with a man who’s 13 years older than you, right? Humans tend to be full of prejudice... I have seen my share of that, kid. You have a lot of friends that love you and accept you and your relationship. You shouldn’t care too much about one freak who gives you shit. If you want, I can rip his head off or eat him as a snack.” 

Naruto buried his face in the bright orange fur and smiled. Kurama was right. “Yeah. You are right.” His fingers brushed through Kurama’s fur and he leaned against his friend. He could hear the Bijuu purr. “So… Should I eat him?” 

“No.” Naruto laughed. “No eating people Kurama.” 

“Alright. But if he gives you shit again, you should tell him that he’s on my menu.” 

Naruto giggled and tightly wrapped his arms around the Bijuu. Kurama was glad that his little Jinchuriki was happy again. Naruto just needed someone who took care of him sometimes. 

There were steps approaching them and they turned around to see Kakashi walking up to them. Naruto still felt angry with the other man. He felt betrayed by Kakashi because he hadn’t said anything when Tsunade was talking about Yamato, but Kurama said that he should try to be more patient with people. Maybe this was such a moment to be patient. Kurama got up and sat down next to Naruto. The blond reluctantly let go of his friend but he decided to get up and face Kakashi.

Kakashi approached Naruto and saw that Kurama had joined the blond. He was curled around Naruto and the blond had his arms tightly wrapped around the Bijuu. When he made a few tentative steps closer to Naruto he watched as Kurama got off from Naruto and sat down next to him. It seemed that the Bijuu was waiting for the Jinchuriki to make the next step, the bright red eyes were watching Naruto’s every move.  
Kakashi still felt a little irritated by Naruto’s new closeness to Kurama and their friendship, but he had to accept it because he knew that Kurama would be around much more now. He could see how important they were to each other and that the blond felt quite comfortable not only with Kurama but also with the other Bijuu as well. 

Naruto huffed angrily as he shifted from one foot to the other and Kakashi thought that maybe he should make the first step. “I know that you probably feel betrayed right now, because Tsunade-sama put a MIA label on Yamato’s file, but believe me it’s just a procedure. –“ 

Naruto already wanted to scream and shout in protest, but when he opened his mouth, he could see Kakashi grimace. He understood that Kakashi got ready for his loud protest and he decided that he would let Kakashi finish first and listen to everything the man had to say. “Sorry… Please continue Kakashi.” 

Kakashi blinked and nodded dumbfounded. He coughed and continued. “So, as I was saying. It’s simply a procedure to label a shinobi MIA when a certain number of attempts to find a shinobi who has been lost, wounded or taken hostage on a mission, were fruitless. However, this doesn’t mean that we will give up on finding him. You were right, he is our friend, and he will do everything to get him back.” 

Kakashi paused to give Naruto the time to speak or ask questions. He could see that he was dying to say something. 

“So… We will not give up on Yamato-taicho?” He asked tentatively and reached out for Kakashi’s hand. 

Kakashi smiled and gently squeezed Naruto’s hand. “Of course not. Tsunade-sama said that there are simply not enough resources right now right after the war to send a whole search party out to find Yamato, but… we can go and look for him.” He gestured to Naruto and himself. 

“Kakashi!! I love you!!” The blond jumped into Kakashi’s arms and squealed happily. 

Kakashi chuckled and grunted amused when a heavy blond bundle jumped at him. Naruto wrapped his arms and legs around him and he stumbled for a moment before he wrapped his arms around Naruto’s hips to keep himself and Naruto steady. “Ahh, I love you too. You didn’t think that Tsunade wasn’t prepared for you? She knew that you would never leave Yamato out there and neither would I. I know that he’s alive and we will find him and bring him back home.” 

Naruto snuggled into Kakashi’s arms. His face was flushed with happiness. His hands were brushing through the thick silver hair. “I am sorry that I was so angry, Kakashi. I thought that you were really going to stop looking for Yamato-taicho.” 

“No. Like you said, he’s also my friend and I know that he’s important to you too. Right?” Kakashi could feel Naruto’s soft nod against his shoulder. 

“He is. He is a good friend and he always took care of me while we were apart. He may be a worry wart and a mother hen, but he always protected me. Gai-Sensei and Yamato-taicho told me the funniest stories about you, you know? When you guys were kids or when you were younger. I really loved that. They knew how much I missed you.” 

Kakashi put Naruto’s feet back on the ground but their arms were still tightly wrapped around each other. He thought about what Naruto just told him. He would have to thank Gai and Yamato when they all had some time to get sake together. They had taken care of Naruto, they protected him and they even helped them with their relationship… He smiled. “We have some good friends, don’t we? We have to make sure that all of them get back home safely.” 

Naruto looked at him with a smile full of emotions and love. “Yes! You know Gai-Sensei and Aoba-san will be back soon. We have to talk to them, because when Yamato-taicho was taken we promised each other that we would help him and make sure that we would all be back together.” 

Kakashi nodded. _Seems like they got close on this mission. Well done Gai. I knew I could trust you._ “Alright, we will talk to them when they get back. We will find Yamato.” 

Naruto felt a lot better now. At least one of his worries was partially out of the way. They would definitely bring Yamato-taichou back to the village! Dattebayo! “Was there something else that you needed to tell me? I know I left the office so abruptly and there were probably loads of other important things that Baa-chan wanted to tell me.”

“Actually yes.” Kakashi let go of Naruto and took a step back. He let his body sink down to the ground and sat down cross legged. He invited Naruto to do the same and after Naruto had also sat down, Kurama decided to put his head on Naruto’s lap. Kakashi wasn’t disturbed by Kurama. He knew that he could speak even about confidential things in front of the Bijuu since Naruto and Kurama were bonded through the seal, it would be weird to show any reluctance in front of the fox anyways. “This is about Sasuke and Obito.” He started. “As you know, they were the last Uchiha, so… they need someone who knows the rites of burial that the Uchiha Clan followed. They were very strict in their traditions.” 

Naruto didn’t know that. Sasuke had never talked about the traditions of his clan. He had never told him stuff like that. His hands brushed through Kurama’s fur. He nodded as he listened to Kakashi. “I guess that I was not chosen for this. I have no idea what kind of traditions the Uchiha Clan followed with their burials. Sasuke never… he never told me stuff like that. He never told me stuff about his clan. So… Who was chosen to take care of the funeral?” 

Kakashi took in a deep breath and looked at Naruto. “I was chosen. I have to take care of Sasuke’s, Obito’s and Itachi’s funeral.” 

Naruto nodded tensely. “I see. I should have guessed. Well, you have the last Sharingan, so it’s the obvious choice. Isn’t it?” 

“I have served with Itachi in Anbu for some time and I was on a team with Obito. We spent a lot of time at the Uchiha compound when we were young. I know a lot about their traditions and their rites.” Kakashi explained quietly. 

The blond nodded and suddenly he felt quite stupid because he had never asked Kakashi about things like that. He nodded and tried to take in all that information. “I… I see. Of course, that would make you the right person for this.” _Why do I feel jealous now?_ He wished that Sasuke told him more about his family. He wished that Sasuke had been more open with him. He could have helped him. If not save him he could have at least done the rites for him, but he wasn’t even able to do that for him! Maybe he’d been the only one who felt like they were friends. Maybe he’d been the only one who had wished them to be close. Now Kakashi was here and told him how much he knew about the Uchiha Clan because he had served with Itachi-san and had spent lots of time at the Uchiha compound. _Why am I getting angry at Kakashi now?_  
He tried to calm down. Everything about Sasuke was making his emotions unstable these days. He bit his lip and nodded tensely at Kakashi. 

“I am sorry Naruto… I didn’t want to make you feel uncomfortable with this. It’s just that the Uchiha had very strict traditions and - ” 

“I understand. No actually you know what? I would have understood if Sasuke had spoken to me about his Clan and his traditions and stuff, but he never did. He never told me anything. He just left. He left this village and he LEFT ME!!” He pushed Kurama away and jumped up. “That asshole! He left me!” He screamed. “Aaaahhhh!” He fell to his knees and cried bitter tears. A broken sob wracked his body. 

Kakashi and Kurama stared at each other. Kakashi slowly got up and the Bijuu carefully followed the Jonin quietly as they made their way over to the crying shinobi. Naruto’s body was shaking with heavy sobs. Kakashi took him in his arms and gently brushed his hands through his blond hair. Kurama put his paws on Naruto’s lap and his burning red eyes looked at the young shinobi tenderly. Kakashi wrapped his arms around the shivering blond and Kurama curled around them both. He snuggled into Naruto’s arms and let Chakra embrace his little Jinchuriki. 

“This isn’t about the funeral… Is it?” Kakashi whispered. 

Naruto cried softly into the green material of the Jonin uniform. “No. I am glad that you take care of it. I … I know that I couldn’t do it. I just feel like everything is crashing down on me. I know that you and Yamato-taicho have been sheltering me from Sasuke’s sentence and the council for quite some time. I know that you only wanted to protect me, and I am thankful that you want to take care of me so much. I am just starting to ask myself, now that Sasuke is dead, if maybe I have been manipulating myself into thinking that ‘if I do more, believe more and just talk to him more, he’ll come back…’ “ With teary eyes he looked at Kakashi. His lips were trembling. “But… He never wanted to come back. You and Yamato-taicho knew that didn’t you?” he buried his face in Kakashi’s chest. His fingers were painfully digging into the Jonin vest.

The Jonin groaned and closed his eyes. “Yes. We did. We often talked about it, but I just couldn’t tell you. Sasuke was so important to you. Was it wrong that I never told you?”

“No… I probably wouldn’t have listened to you.” Naruto answered honestly. “I would have run after him again.”

Kakashi nodded in understanding.

Kurama gently purred against Naruto’s side. “Kid, you are suffering right now, but I wish you’d look around you and see how many friends you have who truly care about you, because that is what you need right now.” The Bijuu’s dark voice sounded gentle and caring and Kakashi was immensely thankful for Kurama’s presence. He couldn’t have put it into better words. That was also Kakashi’s wish. “That’s true Naruto. Think about Sakura-chan, Sai, Shikamaru, Gaara and Bee-san. They are important to you, right?” 

“Yes, and you two! Gai-Sensei, Aoba-san and Yamato-taicho are important people too.” He whispered a little broken. 

Kakashi smiled when Naruto started talking about his friends as well. “See? So many good friends that love you and want to be there for you. Try to concentrate your feelings on them, because you will see that when you give them your attention, your love will be returned.” 

Naruto sniffed and pulled away from Kakashi. “Thank you, Kakashi.”  
Kurama growled. “Thank you too, Kurama.” Naruto giggled and scratched the Bijuu’s ear which made Kurama purr contently. 

*

It was just a few hours later, when they made their way back to Tsunade’s office where Naruto had a long emotional talk with the blond Hokage, and they finally had a chance to talk about everything that had happened in the past few days. The older woman hugged him and promised Naruto that she would help him in every way possible. Naruto was not angry, when Tsunade told him that Kakashi had told her about his panic attacks. “He was worried about you.” She said and they continued with their conversation. Naruto realized that Kurama had been right with many things. He started to listen more and tried to be more patient with other people, even if it was hard for him. Maybe he needed to grow up a little bit and stop yelling around all the time. 

He also tried to be more patient with himself. He started to understand that ‘ _getting better’_ was a process and that simply needed time. When he told her about his panic attacks, he saw her concerned face. She reached out to him and he knew that there was no judgement or anger in her, just love and the wish to care for him. He felt guilty for keeping this from Tsunade. “I just felt so weak and I didn’t want to bother you or Kakashi.” He admitted. 

“Never think that you are a bother to me, or Kakashi, or anyone. You are so loved, Naruto.” her hands felt a little calloused but nice and warm when she touched his cheek. He smiled – a real open brilliant kind of smile. “Ok.” His forehead leaned against her shoulder and he let her pull him closer. 

Maybe Kushina would have hugged him like this if she were still alive. Maybe Minato would tell him something like ‘ _Don’t worry, you will be alright_ ’ and his sunny smile would have make Naruto feel better. Maybe his parents would have taken care of him if they were alive, but right now it was alright to just close his eyes and let Tsunade’s warmth sink into his bones. He may not have a mother anymore and he had only been allowed to spend a few stolen hours with his father on the battlefield, but Tsunade did quite a good job as godmother. His arms wrapped around her and he took in her scent. She smelled a little bit of sake and ink that was still sticking to her fingers after reading papers and reports all morning. Her hands were combing gently through his hair.  
Naruto knew that their feelings for each other were quite similar because he had never known a mothers love and Tsunade was never granted children of her own, so they projected those feelings on each other. They never really talked about it - maybe because it was obvious for everyone that their mutual affection would always be that way. 

*

When Naruto left her office two hours later, he felt emotionally drained, but his heart felt light. He was glad that he had listened to Kakashi and Kurama.  
Speaking about his boyfriend and the old grumpy fox; they were laying under one of the trees in the park, close to the interim Hokage office. Kakashi was leaning against the tree. His eyes were closed, and it looked like he was asleep. Kurama had curled up next to the Jonin. The nine tails had sprawled over Kakashi’s legs while Kurama was snoozing in the sun. Naruto smiled as he walked up to them.  
Kakashi opened his eyes when he felt someone come closer. When he opened his eyes, he looked into Naruto’s smiling face. “I guess your talk with Tsunade-sama went well?” 

Naruto nodded and sat down in front of the Jonin. “It did. I am glad that you two made me talk to her. We had a lot to talk about.” He smiled when he watched Kurama lazily open his eyes. The fox looked around and saw that Naruto had returned. He stretched like a lazy cat and got up only to walk over to Naruto and possessively drop down on Naruto’s lap. The tails wrapped around the blond and he started to purr again. His eyes closed when Naruto let his hand wander over Kurama’s back. “Lazy furball.” He chuckled. “So, did you just sit here and wait for me?” 

“Yes and no. We met Sakura-chan. She was on her way to the hospital. The last groups have arrived, and they were sent straight to the hospital.” Kakashi smiled at Naruto when the blond started to grasp the news. He jumped up and pulled Kurama up with him. The fox groaned at Naruto’s enthusiasm. “Urg, kid I am an ancient being. Have some mercy on me.” 

“GAI-SENSEI IS BACK!!” Naruto yelled and with that he quickly pulled Kakashi up and dragged him and Kurama after him. “YOSH! We have to go to the hospital immediately!” 

*

Naruto’s mood was lifted immensely when he heard that Gai and Aoba had finally arrived at Konoha. Gai’s loud booming voice could be heard downstairs to the reception, even though he and Aoba were put into a room on the first floor. Naruto thanked the nice lady at the reception desk when she told them where Gai’s room was. Naruto hurried up the stairs. 

Kakashi wondered if people were actually concerned about Kurama being here with them or if they had adapted to the madness that seemed to follow Naruto like he had. He chuckled as he watched Naruto race down the halls towards his rivals’ booming voice. Gai certainly was one of a kind.  
He couldn’t deny the relief that he felt when Sakura-chan told him that Gai had made it back.

Kurama was gracefully walking next to him. “He really needs you, Hatake-kun.” Kurama murmured. 

“Ah, well he is grieving. That takes time. I hope that he will find some kind of closure after the funeral.” 

“Hm… I hope so too.” Kurama seemed very contemplative. Naruto squealed happily down the hall and Kurama and Kakashi could see the blond excitedly enter one of the rooms. They could hear Naruto and Gai screaming around about the springtime of youth and other embarrassing things that made Kakashi blush and laugh at the same time. He shook his head. Gai definitely had a bad influence on Naruto in that aspect. 

Kurama walked on and Kakashi followed him. “The seal has changed a lot. I am not bound inside a change anymore. It’s more like a bond. We share Chakra, feelings and thoughts. I feel his pain. He suffers.” Kurama’s red eyes turned to Kakashi who listened intently to the words of the Bijuu. “But he has also never been this happy before. I guess that's why he suffers so much. He feels guilty because he is so happy with you and the prospect of a new life without any pressure of finding Sasuke anymore. He doesn’t know how to feel about that and how to behave. He talks a lot to me when we’re alone and he thinks that this life he has now is only because of Sasuke’s death and that is killing him inside. He loved Sasuke, you know, but their friendship was…. ” The Bijuu stopped and tried to find the right words. 

“Toxic.” Kakashi answered very quietly.

“That’s right.” Kurama stopped as well and his red eyes looked worriedly and fondly at the copy nin. “I am telling you this, because Naruto is like a child to me. I am sure that you love him and that you will take good care of him, he just needs some time and guidance right now. Someone who can show him that it’s alright to be alive, that’s alright to be happy without any guilt and to live this life that the Uchiha-boy protected. Sasuke’s life and their relationship may have been complicated at best, but the boy gave his life to protect Naruto and make amends. Naruto needs to see that Sasuke did something grand in the end. You need to make sure he understands that. It’s good that Gai-kun is back, I watched him with Naruto,..he is a good man. You have a very good friend Hatake-kun. Also, I think that he really needs that tree-guy. Make sure that he comes back safely.” 

Kakashi nodded and bowed his head a little. “Thank you, Kurama-san, for telling me this. I love Naruto more than anything and I will make sure he knows all that. I appreciate what you said about Gai. He really is a good friend and he is very important to me.” 

Maybe Kurama and Kakashi had the same worries and the same thoughts. Breaking out of a toxic and destructive ‘friendship’ was difficult. Especially one like Naruto’s and Sasuke’s which had always been more than toxic and dangerous. Kakashi had often asked himself if he should have intervened more and made sure that Naruto didn’t go after Sasuke anymore. The many times that Sasuke attacked the blond, hurt him and almost killed him made everyone worry that someday Sasuke would stop _trying_ and one day he _would really kill_ Naruto in his rage.  
Naruto’s strong reaction to Sasuke’s death was probably also because his mind finally realized how captured he had been in the dangerous downwards spiral of this toxic friendship. Kakashi was glad that they were able to make peace before Sasuke died and that it seemed like Sasuke had also found some kind of peace. Kakashi decided that he would keep his thoughts for himself. There was no easy way around this.

They started to move again and soon reached Gai’s and Aoba’s room. Kakashi peaked inside and he smiled fondly at the scene because he saw Naruto tightly hugging Gai and Aoba, who held the blond in their arms. 

Gai looked up when he heard a noise from the door. Their eyes met and he wanted to loudly greet his _Eternal Rival_ but stopped when Kakashi shook his head. They just smiled at each other and Gai knew that Kakashi was just as happy to see him as he was to be reunited with his _Eternal Rival._

“I am so glad that you two are back! Dattebayo!” Naruto looked between the two Jonin and a brilliant smile danced over his face. “You’re going to be ok Aoba-san, right?!” 

“Yes Naruto-kun. I am fine just like the rest of the intel-team. Some were badly injured, but no one died thankfully! When Gai-san found us, he made sure that one of the medic teams found us as well.” Aoba smiled at Gai and blushed a little. Naruto realized the change in their dynamic and grinned happily. He was so happy to see love bloom between the two men. 

Kakashi had entered the room and went over to Gai. “I am glad that you are alright my friend.” Kakashi touched his arm, but for Gai that wasn’t enough of course. The others started to laugh when they watched Gai break out in manly tears as he pulled a wheezing Kakashi against his chest. “My _Eternal Rival_ ! I am overjoyed to finally see you again! Let me look at you, are you still in one piece? Are you alright, Kakashi?”  
Kakashi groaned. “Gai stop it! I am completely fine. Let me down!” 

Aoba and Naruto watched them for a moment with amusement until Aoba pulled Naruto to the side. “Naruto-kun. I must ask for your forgiveness... It was my fault that Yamato-san was taken. I know that you will probably never forgive me, but I will do everything in my power to help you get him back!” He bowed deeply and waited for Naruto’s judgement. 

“There was nothing that you could have done. I am not mad at you, but I want to thank you for your sincerity and your kind words. I miss Yamato-taicho so much and I have been thinking a lot about our promise lately.” He looked down at his hands. “It still IS a promise, is it?” He asked shyly. Afraid that he might ask too much of the Jonin. 

“It is my young friend. Don’t give up on your youthful spirit, Naruto-kun. We will find our friend and bring him back home. Am I right? I am sure that my hip rival is going to join us in this endeavor.” Gai put an encouraging hand on Naruto’s shoulder and grinned at the blond. 

“Of course. I already promised Naruto that we will bring Yamato back home.” The three Jonin watched Naruto closely. 

“Thank you everyone. I am so glad that we will do this together! We will definitely bring Yamato-taicho home! Dattebayo!” He could feel his spirits rise. Now that Gai-Sensei and Aoba-san have returned he was sure that nothing would stop them on their mission. 

***


	43. everything must come to an end part 2 about love and sacrifices

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 2/6 everything has come to an end  
> Kakashi and Naruto will take their relationship to the next level, but Naruto realizes that the war and Sasuke's death have changed him fundamentally. He's not the same person that he was before the war. He has to make a difficult decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY, SEXY TIMES!!!  
> Everyone is like, what, what is happening?! Naruto and Kakashi get to do some Icha Icha?  
> YES, my friends. I'm not really sure who wants this more, young and horny Naruto or Kakashi who has been abstinent for... months?? XD  
> My poor boys LOL
> 
> Have fun. <3
> 
> I will update TLWBH only on Saturdays. Work is getting kinda hectic and crazy :(

* * *

It was monday afternoon, when Naruto walked away from the hospital. Gai-Sensei had just told him that he and Aoba would have to stay in hospital for another few days. Of course the blond wasn’t happy about that, because while Gai-Sensei and Aobo-san had to stay in hospital, Kakashi would be busy with the preparations for the funeral. This gave Naruto too much time to be alone, which meant too much time to think about Sasuke, the war, Yamato-taicho and everything else that was going on around him. He was driving himself insane and he knew that it wasn’t healthy but he just couldn’t stop thinking when he was alone, and he was alone most of the time these days. His mind was going in circles and he didn’t know how to stop.

While Kakashi was busy Naruto decided to spent some time with Tsunade. The Hokage was glad that Naruto came to her and finally started talking about all the things that were troubling him. “You don’t have to push yourself. Nobody will be mad at you if you simply want to take some time off, Naruto. It might be good for you.” 

“Time off? What would I do? I’ve never had ‘ _time off’_ .” 

“Go to an Onsen with Kakashi or just take a few days just for yourself and stay with the Bijuu if you like? I know you love them.” 

Naruto was quiet for a moment. “Would that be ok? If I stay with the Bijuu for a few days?” 

Tsunade blinked, surprised that Naruto would rather stay with the Bijuu than go to the Onsen with Kakashi. “Of course. If that is what you want and need right now. I am sure that Kurama and the others would be happy if you stay with them for a while and Kakashi –“ 

“I want to be alone with them. Do you… Do you think that Kakashi will be mad at me?” 

She was definitely surprised now. “Without Kakashi? Why? Is something wrong between you two?” 

“No. I just feel like I am bothering him with all my problems right now. Especially because he needs to focus so much on the funeral and I know that you two are talking about a rescue mission for Yamato. He’s doing so much.” 

“That’s true. We are talking about a possible rescue mission. Do you really think that distancing yourself from Kakashi is the right thing to do right now?” 

“I don’t want to put distance between myself and Kakashi, I love him, but I feel that I need to be with the Bijuu right now because that might help me. You know? I can’t really explain it. It’s like training with the toads. Maybe it’s Sage-stuff?” He babbled on. 

Tsunade shrugged and nodded. “If you believe that you need to be with them, of course you have my permission to leave the village, but talk with Kakashi before you leave.” 

Naruto smiled and slowly stood up. Tsunade walked him to the door. She pulled the blond into a tight embrace. “Be careful and come back home soon.” 

“I will. Thank you, Baa-chan.” 

*

That night when Naruto came home Kakashi was waiting with dinner already. The silver haired man smiled at him when he closed the door behind him. Naruto took off his shoes and put his jacket away. 

“I am hoooome!” Naruto called. 

“Welcome back.” Kakashi answered and went to greet him. They tenderly exchanged a kiss and Naruto followed Kakashi into the living room. 

“I made some Udon. Hope that’s ok?” 

“Sure! I'm starving…” Naruto sat down, and they started eating. They exchanged stories of their day and Naruto listened carefully to what Kakashi told him about the elaborate burial rites of the Uchiha Clan. 

The team that was in charge of finding Itachi’s body had finally returned and they had brought back the beaten-up body of the Uchiha. Now that Itachi, Sasuke and Obito were back in the village, Kakashi was able to properly take care of everything, which also included extracting the Sharingan. The dead Uchiha were not permitted to be buried with their Sharingan. The risk of grave robbery was to grate. Sasuke and Itachi would be laid to rest side by side, as it was Sasuke’s last wish, while Obito would have his own grave. Naruto had told Kakashi that he wanted to know everything about the procedure and the rites, so every evening they sat together and Kakashi told him what was going on. 

Naruto was grateful that Kakashi was being so honest with him about this. The Jonin waited for a moment until he felt that he could ask Naruto about his meeting with Tsunade. “How was your day?” 

“Good. I went to speak with Gai-Sensei and Aoba-san. They are doing much better. They will be released in a few days.” 

“That’s good.” 

“Yes. I also went to see Tsunade and she said that I should do something relaxing… like take some time off or something – “ 

“That’s a very good idea.” Kakashi said. Maybe he was a little too enthusiastic about this idea. Maybe he should let Naruto finish, because there was a certain glint in Naruto’s eyes. 

“I thought so too. She offered me some off-duty time that I could spend how- and wherever I want.” He watched Kakashi carefully. 

“That’s good. So, after the funeral we can go somewhere. Where do you want to go? I just need to talk to Tsunade and – “ 

“I am going to stay with the Bijuu for a few days.” 

Kakashi stared at the blond in confusion. He put his chopsticks down and let his hands rest on the table. “You are going to stay with the Bijuu for a few days?” He repeated. “When?” 

“From tomorrow on.”

The atmosphere changed within seconds and the tension between them was tangible. Naruto also put the chopsticks down. He looked at Kakashi and he felt a painful tug on his heart when he saw the hurt expression on Kakashi’s face. 

“Why?” 

“I just need to be with them for a while. I need to be away from the village.” 

“Away from _me_?” 

“NO!” Naruto got up and quickly moved closer to Kakashi. He wrapped his arms around Kakashi’s shoulders and pressed an urgent kiss to his lips. He felt the other man respond to his kiss and their lips moved against each other. Naruto pulled away slightly. “I never want to be away from you. I love you.” 

“Why do you need to go then?” 

Naruto smiled sadly. “They are going to leave the fire country soon. Gyuuki is going back to Bee and Shukaku is going back to Suna. I wrote letters to Bee and Gaara and they are expecting them by the end of this week. The other Bijuu will find new homes in the oceans of wave country or the cliffs in Iwa. I have written letters to the other Kage. The Bijuu are finally safe, but I feel that I need to be with them right now, there is so much that I need to ask them.” He couldn’t stand Kakashi’s pained face and tried to avert his eyes. “I just need some space from the village and everyone.. I need to move on and I need to find out if I truly am the Sage that Rikudo Sennin foresaw.” 

He needed to be with the Bijuu. If he wanted to find out more what it meant to be Sage and if he wanted to know more about the Bijuu he needed to use this chance. He felt like it was his duty, his opportunity, and his moment. His opportunity not only to learn about being a Sage but also to get better. He had spent a lot of time with Tsunade and she had told him that the sadness and the anger were completely normal, but Naruto knew that everyone in the village was watching him. They were watching Kakashi as well and their relationship. This was putting additional stress on him and he felt like was being suffocated by the caring and worried glances of his friends, the ‘get well soon’ wishes of shinobi and civilians he had never seen, Gai-Sensei’s and Kakashi’s worried and anxious hovering around him. They were all acting like he would break any second. Konoha was a big village but it felt like he was in a cage. He felt locked up. Like he couldn’t breathe anymore in these constricted surroundings. The walls and the mountains that surrounded the village always felt like a haven to Naruto, but now he felt like he needed to break free and run wild in the woods or somewhere, where no one would be able to control him. Some place, where he could cry, laugh and scream and where no one would come running and look at him, like he was made out of glass. 

Kakashi nodded in understanding. He could barely stand the thought of letting Naruto go. He wouldn’t be too far away, the Bijuu were staying in the forests around Konoha. Kakashi also knew that there was probably no safer place for Naruto than with the Bijuu. Kurama was very protective of his Jinchuriki. So that was at least something that he did not need to worry about. It was just the distance between them that made him anxious. “I am going to miss you.” He whispered and pulled Naruto closer. He leaned in and kissed Naruto’s sweet lips tenderly. 

“I am going to miss you too, Kakashi.” Naruto’s hands urgently moved over the strong shoulders into Kakashi’s wild silver hair. Naruto’s heated gaze was burning with undisclosed passion. A shiver went down over Kakashi’s spine and he tried to stay calm. The tension between them had been kind of insane over the past few days. They slowly got up and moved through the living room. Kakashi turned off the lights. The used dishes were still standing around on the table and the oven, but they didn’t care. Kakashi closed the bedroom door behind them and gently pulled Naruto closer to him.

The Futon was rolled out and ready for them. Since they’d gotten back from the war, they had developed the habit of sleeping together on one Futon. The other was left untouched in the wardrobe. The light was turned off in the bedroom but the silver light of the lamps outside their apartment illuminated their room. It wasn’t much but at least they could see where they were going. Naruto had his arms wrapped around Kakashi’s body and he pulled the Jonin down for another kiss. Kakashi moaned in delight when he felt how Naruto pressed his body against his. Their lips sensually moved against each other. Kakashi felt like he was going crazy when he started sucking on Naruto’s bottom lip and a soft moan left Naruto’s soft lips. Naruto tugged on his hair while his lips moved teasingly slowly against his and he wished that he could do more, have more of his blond lover. Each nip, each kiss, each suck made him want more. Each touch made him feel more for Naruto and his heart was racing. He felt his brain and his body were going fuzzy when Naruto pushed his tongue inside his mouth. He groaned at the hot feeling of Naruto’s greedy exploration. Naruto licked and sucked and Kakashi moaned loudly when their tongues rubbed against each other. 

They stumbled towards their Futon and just for a short moment they had to let go from each other. Kakashi pulled Naruto back into his arms as soon as they sat down on the warm and fluffy material of the Futon. Their heated gazes met and Kakashi wasn’t sure how far this was going to go, but he was mesmerized when Naruto pulled the black shirt over his head. 

Naruto shyly looked at Kakashi through his long lashes. He smiled and fiddled with the shirt in his hands before he dropped it next to the Futon. He felt a little exposed and insecure without his shirt on but he could see the desire in Kakashi’s eyes which made him blush. The adrenaline of the situation was rushing through his body and his hands were getting sweaty when he looked into Kakashi’s eyes. They held something wild - barely contanable. 

Kakashi reached for Naruto’s hands. “I love you Naruto.” 

“I love you too Kakashi.” 

“I don’t know how to let you go tomorrow.” 

“I will be back in a few days. Maybe I can talk Tsunade into giving us a few more days off after the funeral. Maybe we could go to an Onsen … together? Just you… and me? Oh Kakashi.” Naruto started panting when he felt Kakashi’s hands, touching his chest. The Jonin was gently caressing and twisting his nipples. 

“That sounds good. Just you and me.” Kakashi repeated and leaned in to capture Naruto’s lips again. This kiss was much more passionate. He leaned back a little and pulled Naruto into his lap until the blond was straddling him. “You don’t know what you do to me. How much I love you. How much I need you.” The silver haired man feverishly whispered before he pressed his lips against Naruto’s. 

Naruto eagerly responded to the kiss and with each lick and caress of Kakashi’s lips and his hands on his body, his heart was pounding harder against his ribs. He moaned wantonly when Kakashi started to suck on his neck. Naruto bit his lip when he moved to straddle Kakashi’s lap. The lips on his neck were relentless in their endeavour to mark him. He moved his head a little bit to the side to give Kakashi more space. His eyelids started to drop when he felt Kakashi’s tongue lick over his neck, where he nibbled on the tender skin right under his ear. 

Kakashi swallowed heavy as his hands moved over the miles of tan golden skin. Naruto smiled shyly at him as he started to move his hips over Kakashi’s lap. Kakashi’s hands were still gently twisting his nipples but when he heard the eager moans that left Naruto’s lips he looked up into the beautiful blue eyes. “What is it my love? What do you want?” He panted. 

“I… I want…” Naruto blushed and almost stopped, but he knew that he really needed to leave the village tomorrow and even though his mind had been captured by sadness and grief his heart was drawn even more to Kakashi and he wished that they could finally take a small step forward in their relationship. Kurama had told him that he needed to be absolutly certain about this, because intimicy was a huge step and he was right about that, Naruto was kinda nervous about this, but he really wanted to take this step with Kakashi. He wanted to be closer to the man he loved and feel Kakashi's love in this way as well. He tried to hide his blushing face in Kakashi’s shoulder. Kakashi was still wearing his uniform standard shirt and his pants. It was a great relief to Naruto that Kakashi had stopped wearing the mask when they were alone at home, so he could kiss Kakashi as much as he liked.  
He wanted Kakashi to touch him and to make love to him. He wanted … everything. He just didn’t know how to say it. He felt overwhelmed by the intensity of his feelings for Kakashi.  
His forehead was resting against Kakashi’s shoulder while the other man was softly touching his back and his hips. 

The close proximity of their bodies was making both men excited and nervous at the same time. “I want you to touch me. I want to be so close to you. I wish you would kiss me like that night on the ship… or like that night in the woods… but… I don’t want you to stop this time.” 

He felt torn inside. He knew that he had to go tomorrow, because he needed to heal. If he wanted this relationship to work, he would also have to work on himself and take better care of himself. He wanted them to be equals in this relationship. He wanted to be strong for Kakashi. He wanted to be someone that Kakashi could lean on as well.  
He could be that man for Kakashi.  
He was going to be that man for Kakashi. He just needed some time.  
Naruto felt his heart race with new confidence and love for the man who kissed him so tenderly. He would do anything for Kakashi. Leaving the village for a few days was easy compared to the weeks they had to spend apart from each other. 

Naruto’s ocean blue eyes seemed impossible dark and his pupils were blown wide as he looked at Kakashi. His arms were wrapped around Kakashi’s neck. His fingers were brushing through the soft silver strands. Kakashi was sure that he had never seen anything so alluring in his life. A shaky breath left his lips. His hands travelled over Naruto’s slim hips and gently pulled the blond closer. Their hips rubbed against each other and he was sure that the blond could feel his obvious erection that was straining his pants. He leaned up and brushed his lips against Naruto’s. 

The kiss was soft but spoke of all the things that they wished and needed so desperately. 

_I love you._

_You are the only one._

_Don’t leave me._

_I will come back to you._

_I will wait._

_I love you._

_Always._

The kiss ended and Naruto’s eyes were searching for Kakashi’s. The silver haired man smiled tenderly at his lover. “Are you sure?” He asked and reached for Naruto’s cheek. 

Naruto smiled back at him and leaned into Kakashi’s touch. “Yes. I want to be with you – ” It was quiet in their bedroom and Naruto felt anxious for a moment. He watched Kakashi carefully. “I want to be with you in every way.”

“You’re driving me completely insane.” They were wrapped in a tight embrace. Kakashi was sure that he wasn’t thinking straight anymore, but that didn’t matter right now.  
While they were kissing, he could feel how Naruto was starting to pull on his shirt. He pulled away from his lover slightly and let Naruto pull the shirt over his head in a quick movement. While Naruto undressed him he could feel how the soft fingers traced his skin on his abs and his shoulders. He helped Naruto when he pulled the shirt over his head. They dropped the shirt next to the Futon where Naruto’s shirt was already laying. They looked at each other and both felt a little insecure for a moment, but Kakashi decided that he would take the lead and carefully pushed Naruto down on the soft material of their Futon. He would slow this moment down a little bit to give them time to move in their own tempo.  
It seemed that it had been the right decision, because even though they were both on the edge and just wanted to rip each other's clothes off, there was a lot going on in their heads. 

Naruto was glad that Kakashi took the lead. He laid back down and stared up into Kakashi's soft smiling face. He reached up and caressed Kakashi’s scar. His mismatched eyes were tenderly watching him. Looking into a Sharingan didn’t hurt him anymore. Sasuke’s Sharingan was still burning in the back of his mind. He could see the glowing red of Sasuke’s Mangekyo Sharingan, but his heart didn’t hurt anymore when he looked into Kakashi’s eyes. He traced the soft skin under Kakashi’s eye and smiled. Obito’s Sharingan was staring at him in it’s usual terrible beauty. Kakashi’s soft pale face was growing soft under Naruto’s touch. “Do you miss Obito-san?” He suddenly whispered. 

Kakashi leaned into Naruto’s touch. He turned his face a little and placed a soft kiss in Naruto’s palm. “I do, but knowing that he’s with Rin, Sensei and Kushina-san makes it easier.” 

“Did you find your peace with Obito-san’s death?” 

“I have. I was grieving for my team for a very long time. Knowing that Obito was able to forgive me, and that we were able to make peace, finally allowed me to move on.” 

Naruto was deeply moved by Kakashi’s words. “I didn’t know you felt that way.” He pulled Kakashi into his arms. “Oh Kakashi.” They held each other in each other's arms. 

“Naruto, you will find your peace with Sasuke’s death too.” Kakashi whispered into Naruto’s neck where he took in the comforting smell of sunflowers, sunshine and Naruto’s strawberries shower lotion. He buried his face in Naruto’s neck.

“I know.” Naruto’s smile was just as sweet as the smell that was surrounding him. “I will come back to you Kakashi. I will always come back to you. You are everything to me.”

Kakashi propped himself up on one elbow and looked at Naruto. Their gazes met and Kakashi felt like that the whole room was vibrating with the tension and the emotions that were moving between them. They would always gravitate towards each other in unexplainable ways. All the mysteries and the painful experiences seemed to turn into miracles since Naruto had crash landed in his life and he knew that he would miss him so much when they were separated again. The center of his whole universe was right here in his arms. Naruto’s arms were safely wrapped around him and he could feel the heat seep into his own body as Naruto started to wriggle against his body. 

When Naruto shyly spread his legs so that Kakashi could move between them he felt a little nervous but also very excited. He couldn’t believe that they were so close. Kakashi leaned down and kissed Naruto’s lips, his cheeks, his neck, his collarbone. Kakashi’s hands were sensually moving all over his chest and his hips. Naruto tried to take in a calming breath to keep his eyes open but feeling Kakashi’s hands all over his body was exhilarating. His heart was starting to race, and his mind was starting to get fuzzy. He didn’t know what to do with his hands. 

_Should I touch him? What am I supposed to do? That feels so good…._

His thoughts were getting blurry and he was panting when Kakashi was starting to suck in his nipples. One of Kakashi’s hands was moving down over Naruto’s belly where he was caressing the new seal for a moment. The stormy silver eyes looked up for a moment. Their gazes met and Naruto’s blue eyes looked deeply into Kakashi’s. 

“My love, let me take care of you.” Kakashi’s voice was deep and sultry as his hand gently traced the seal that held Kurama’s Chakra and saved Naruto’s life. 

Naruto could feel Kakashi’s feelings in every kiss, in every touch and in every moment that they were spending together. Their lips crashed together and desperate, needy sounds escaped them both. Naruto moaned wantonly when he felt Kakashi pull his hips against his. Their bodies rubbed against each other. Naruto squirmed against Kakashi’s strong grip and his legs suggestively fell a little further apart. “Oh god Kakashi!” 

Their bodies were entwined and moved in a slow and teasing rhythm that was driving Naruto insane. His head fell into the pillows and his jaw fell open. He was panting when Kakashi was pushing his erection against Naruto’s. Their pants were getting tight and they were both groaning in frustration. They were finally closer, but not close enough, not nearly close enough. He licked his dry lips. “Ka-Kakashi! Ah, That… That feels so good!” He had always thought about Kakashi when he had touched himself. He had thought about what the man must feel like under his hands, what he must look like in the throws of passion and what he must sound like. Now that Kakashi was all his, he was able to see, hear and feel everything. His hands blindly reached for Kakashi because he couldn’t keep his eyes open any longer. His fingers moved over the broad strong shoulders and gently scratched at Kakashi’s pale skin. He moaned when Kakashi started kissing and sucking on his neck again. He wanted to be so much closer to Kakashi. “Please!” He whimpered. 

“Please, what?” Kakashi stopped sucking on Naruto’s neck and looked into Naruto’s flushed face. He was pleased that Naruto was so responsive to his ministrations. He caressed Naruto’s blushing cheeks. “What do you want my love?” 

Naruto’s body felt so hot under Kakashi’s touch. There was something wild and feral in Kakashi’s stormy grey eyes. He tried to regain his composure, but it was difficult when his cock was straining against the confines of his pants and he could feel Kakashi’s hard on pressing against his thigh. He simply whimpered as he tried to push his body closer to his lover. 

Kakashi leaned down and his lips brushed against Naruto’s ear. “I would give you anything you want, Naruto. Just tell me, my love.” Kakashi’s hand held Naruto’s hips in a soft but steady grip as he rocked his hips against Naruto’s again. He felt Naruto’s trembling body become even more pliant under his touch. His beautifully flushed, rosy cheeks made Kakashi’s cock throb in his pants. The wild blond hair was sprawled all over their pillows and made it look like a halo. The Jonin could feel Naruto’s hand tremble on his shoulders with every move he made. 

“I… I want you…Ha! I want you to touch me...” Naruto’s eyes opened slightly. With half lidded eyes that were completely intoxicated with passion, he tried to concentrate on Kakashi’s face. “... Everywhere.”

Kakashi took in a deep breath and nodded. He let go of Naruto’s body and slightly moved away from the blond. He kneeled between Naruto’s slender legs and felt how his heart was beating furiously against his ribs as his eyes were roaming over miles of beautiful, unblemished golden skin. Naruto was sprawled over the Futon, his legs were spread and his hands were clutching onto the pillows. Beads of sweat were forming on his toned chest. Kakashi’s fingers traced the chiseled abs – a sign of years of hard training. His hands moved lower and when he reached the seam of Naruto’s pants he looked up again into Naruto’s face. Their heated gazes met again. 

“Do you want me to go on?” Kakashi asked. His voice felt unnaturally loud in their quiet bedroom. The only sounds were their hard breathing and the rustling of the sheets. 

Naruto was wriggling a little bit against his hands to show him that he wanted Kakashi to go on.  
“Yes.” Naruto whispered. He was shaking a little. 

Kakashi pulled on the seam. He wanted Naruto to be sure that he really wanted to do this. When an impatient groan reached Kakashi’s ear he felt certain enough and he pulled Naruto’s orange pants down. He smiled when Naruto lifted his hips a little to make it easier for the copy nin to undress his lover. The pants were dropped next to the Futon like the rest of their clothes.

Kakashi watched Naruto closely when he started to take his own pants off. He was rewarded by a very lewd smirk. Naruto suddenly sat up on the futon and scooted closer to Kakashi. “Stop.” Naruto licked his lips. “I want to help you with that.” 

Naruto’s hands quickly reached for Kakashi’s pants and pulled down the zip. His cheeks felt hot as he felt the huge bulge against the tight uniform standard pants. His hands brushed against Kakashi’s erection which made the Jonin moan unabashedly. “Naruto…” 

The blond looked up from where he sat. He kneeled between Kakashi’s legs and quickly pulled on the black uniform pants. He helped the Jonin out of his pants and soon both men were only left in their underwear. Naruto suddenly was very happy that he wasn’t wearing his ramen boxer shorts, even though he knew that Kakashi knew that he had those. Well, they lived together…  
But when he saw how those black briefs hugged Kakashi’s ass and his rock hard dick he had to swallow. His hands tentatively reached for his lover and he felt his mouth water when he traced Kakashi’s abs and his chest. His dick twitched and throbbed painfully when Kakashi finally pulled him closer. Their lips crashed against each other. He opened his lips and let Kakashi’s tongue plunder his mouth. Eagerly he pushed his body against the other man and tried to get even closer when he wrapped his legs around Kakashi’s hips. Completely dazed with passion he just straddled Kakashi’s hips and tried to get more friction on his aching cock. His head fell into his neck and was gasping when Kakashi’s hands groped his ass to pull his hips a little bit faster and harder over his cock. 

“That’s so good. Don’t stop! Don’t stop!” He wanted so much more. “Kakashi!” 

The Jonin groaned. This was not nearly enough for him, but having Naruto writhe his hips on his lap like that was definitely making his inside boil and his head swim. He had been holding back for so long and he just wanted to pull those damn orange boxer shorts down and have his way with that cute little ass.  
_I would fuck him so good. I would…_  
Kakashi moaned and pulled Naruto’s ass a little harder against his dick. He rubbed himself against the moaning blond. The way Naruto said his name and the way he held onto his shoulder drove him absolutely insane. 

“Naruto!” 

“Kakashi! I am so… I can’t!” 

“It’s alright. You can let go. Cum for me.” Kakashi groaned deeply. His hands snuck into Naruto’s boxer shorts and massaged the plum ass. He pulled the cheeks apart a little and squeezed them. Naruto writhed against him and pressed his sweaty body against Kakashi. Kakashi captured his lips and kissed him eagerly. 

Naruto felt how their saliva mixed and slowly dripped down his lips and his chin. Captured by his passion, he didn't realize how he bit Kakashi’s bottom lip. He had completely immersed himself into the feeling and the sensations of Kakashi’s hands on his body. He felt the tension in his belly and his entire body building up until he was trembling. He could feel how Kakashi’s hands moved over his body and gently pulled down his boxer shorts. He felt nervous for a moment until the Jonin took his throbbing erection into his hand and started to move his hand over the hard flesh. Naruto tried to keep looking into Kakashi’s wild eyes that were burning with lust for him, but he couldn’t anymore. He was falling.  
His body was trembling with the sheer force of his orgasm. Cum splattered over his stomach and Kakashi’s hand. The intensity of his orgasm completely overtook him and it felt like he would pass out but when Kakashi pulled his hand away he opened his eyes. 

He saw how Kakashi eagerly pulled his own briefs down with shaking hands and started to stroke his hard cock. 

_Oh god.... He is so ... big._

Naruto couldn’t look away. That must have been the hottest and most exhilarating thing that he had ever witnessed. Kakashi’s face was red and sweaty and he bit his lip as he quickly stroked his own cock. Quick efficient movements. Some of the silver strands were sticking to Kakashi’s sweaty forehead. “Naruto!” A desperate broken moan left his lips. Naruto could barely stand the little distance that was separating them. He sat up and wrapped his arms around them. He pressed his lips against Kakashi. His shaking hands reached down and wrapped around Kakashi’s dick. “You have to tell me what to do, if I do it right. I want to make you feel good.” He heatedly whispered against Kakashi’s lips. 

The Jonin groaned and pushed his cock frantically into Naruto’s hands. Just a few more strokes. Just a little bit more. He closed his eyes. “Faster!” He begged and pulled Naruto closer. He didn’t want to think about tomorrow. He didn’t want to think about their separation. He only wanted to think about tonight, because tonight they were together. Tonight Naruto was only his.

Naruto shivered as he stroked Kakashi’s hard cock. He felt precum slick his hand. With trembling hands and a little inexperienced movement, he brought his lover closer to his orgasm. 

Kakashi tensed up before his mind went heavenly blank when he came all over Naruto’s hands. He might have screamed Naruto’s name, but he wasn’t sure. His body went slack in Naruto’s arms. The blond pulled Kakashi into his arms and down onto their Futon. They laid down next to each other. 

It was dark outside and the light from the lamps outside threw long shadows inside their bedroom. Kakashi laid his head on the pillows. He brushed his hands through his sweaty hair. After he had taken a deep satisfied breath he turned his head slowly towards Naruto. The blond was sprawled right next to him. He had his eyes closed and Kakashi could see a blissful happy smile on his face that suddenly looked impossibly sweet and young. Kakashi propped himself up on one arm and looked down on Naruto’s beautiful face. He caressed the whiskered cheek and smiled at Naruto. “How are you?” He asked. 

“I have never felt like this.” Slowly the blue eyes opened again and with a tender loving gaze he looked at Kakashi again. “I have never felt so close to anyone before.” He reached for Kakashi’s face. He felt like he had never seen this handsome face before. Maybe it just felt like everything had changed. He felt like he was looking at Kakashi completely differently now.  
Everything felt new and different – even his body felt different. His fingers moved over Kakashi’s lips and his mole. He stopped there and tenderly caressed the mark. He smiled at the other man. No one had ever touched his body like Kakashi just did. “I love you Kakashi.” 

Kakashi moved his body on top of Naruto’s until they were completely entangled. They were melting against each other until it felt like they were one. In the darkness on the night, they exchanged feverish and loving kisses. Naruto’s hands moved over Kakashi’s bare back while his legs were wrapped around Kakashi’s hips. He wished they could simply stay like this forever. 

They would say their goodbyes in the morning when Naruto would leave the village to stay with the Bijuu for the next few days. Even though they were sad about their impending separation, they were happy about the development in their relationship. Naruto snuggled into Kakashi’s arms and drifted between being awake and falling asleep for a few moments, but his mind was finally pulled into a deep sleep that was full of sensual and beautiful images of Kakashi. He sighed happily when he was dozing off, entangled in Kakashi’s arms and his love.

***


	44. everything must come to an end part 3 about endings and new beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto decides that he will leave the village for a few days to stay with the Bijuu.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part 3/6 everything must come to an end

They woke up with their sheets tangled around their bodies. Naruto groaned when he realized that he felt kind of sticky from last night. Kakashi was wrapped around him and his wild silver hair looked even more unruly than usual. He chuckled when he snuggled a little bit closer to the sleeping Jonin. Kakashi looked so much younger like this. No worry and no troubles were etched on his face. The distance would be good for them, Naruto thought and gently touched the handsome face. He felt a little miserable as he looked at the silver haired man. Kakashi would be able to concentrate on the funeral and he wouldn’t have to worry so much about Naruto’s feelings all the time.

He would miss Kakashi so much. Especially now, after last night. He snuggled closer and tried to hide his face in Kakashi’s neck. He moved his leg around Kakashi’s hip and tried to curl his whole body around his lover. Just a few more hours until he would have to leave. He wanted to melt into Kakashi’s arms. When a deep sigh and a slight lazy movement underneath Naruto alerted him of Kakashi’s awakening he tightened his grip on the Jonin and moved his body completely on top of Kakashi. 

The sun was shining into their room when he opened his eyes. He tried to lift his hands to rub the sleep from his eyes, but he couldn’t move them. He looked to his chest where he could feel a ‘heavy’ weight pressing him into the soft material of the Futon. He smiled and pried his hands away from his personal Kotatsu. Naruto lifted his head from Kakashi’s chest. 

“You are awake!” He smiled at Kakashi’s sleepy face. 

“Yes. I just woke up and realized that I was sleeping under a Kotatsu.” 

“I just want to keep you cozy and warm.” 

Kakashi chuckled and sighed deeply as he pulled the blond a little closed to his body. He may feel a little sticky and a shower definitely sounded good right now but having Naruto in his arms like this was so much better than getting up. 

“Do you think that we can stay in bed a little longer?” Naruto whispered shyly. 

“Absolutely.” Kakashi answered. He pulled the blankets up and around them and wrapped his arms around the giggling blond. “Nobody will miss us if we stay in bed just a little bit longer.” He tenderly looked at Naruto and leaned in for a good-morning-kiss. Naruto smiled and eagerly reciprocated it. As their kiss grew in passion, Naruto realized that he was still very much naked.

After their passionate night together they had simply taken off their underwear, because there was cum all over them. They had blissfully fallen asleep in each others arms and their naked bodies were curled around each other. Now that Kakashi was kissing him again like he had last night, and his wonderful hands were starting to wander all over his body again he realized that he would definitely have a problem … very soon.    
He felt Kakashi’s tongue softly rub against his lips and when he opened his mouth the Jonin immediately started to eagerly suck on Naruto’s lip. Naruto could feel his body react to Kakashi’s kiss and he moaned passionately when he felt Kakashi’s cock getting hard against his stomach. 

Naruto couldn’t help himself. He pulled away from the kiss and sat on top of Kakashi’s lap. He could feel the Jonin’s hard muscles flex underneath his hands. He spread his legs as he straddled Kakashi’s hips. The things that Kakashi did to his body ... and the things that he wished Kakashi would do to his body...   
He felt himself getting dizzy with want and desire. He was panting. Kakashi’s hands were moving frantically over his tights and his hips.    
The way Kakashi looked at him made him groan impatiently, waiting for Kakashi’s next move. He trembled under Kakashi’s touch. He felt his cock throb with want as he started to writhe on top of his lover. 

Kakashi let his hands wander over the tan golden skin of Naruto’s thighs. He pulled them a little further apart and finally he moved his hands in between them and started to stroke his lover's cock. Naruto moaned wantonly and threw his head back. Kakashi watched transfixed as his beautiful lover started to touch his neck, his chest,… his nipples. Kakashi swallowed heavily when he pushed his cock against Naruto’s. 

Naruto looked down on Kakashi’s flushed face and smiled lewdly at him. He wriggled on top of him. “I love you…so much!” Naruto leaned down and held onto Kakashi’s shoulder. With his other hand Naruto reached down for Kakashi’s cock and started to stroke him in the same tempo that Kakashi was stroking him. He bit his lip and his eyes rolled into the back of his head when Kakashi’s fingers teased the sensitive skin. 

“Let go.” Kakashi’s voice was dark and raspy and it made Naruto want him even more. Kakashi’s grip on him was tight and he edged him on. Naruto eagerly pushed his cock into Kakashi’s hand. “I’m so close.” He whined and quickly moved his hips. He felt one of Kakashi’s hands wander from hips to his ass where he squeezed the soft cheeks. His eyes were tearing up slightly with the intensity of his feelings. Kakashi pulled him forward slightly. Naruto opened his eyes and looked at Kakashi. Their heated gazes met and Naruto saw that he wasn’t the only one who had trouble breathing. Kakashi’s pupils were dilated and his cheeks were flushed as well. 

Naruto gasped when he felt Kakashi’s finger slightly trace the edge of his puckered hole. He didn’t know where he should move his body. Into Kakashi’s stroking hand or back where Kakashi’s finger touched him in places he had never thought possible. Kakashi's index finder was moving slowly, teasingly across the hidden tender skin. 

He couldn’t take it anymore so he pushed back against Kakashi’s finger. Just imagining the things that Kakashi would do to him made a tear run down his heated cheeks. He felt his body tremble and he just couldn’t take it anymore. “Kakashi!” He may have blacked out for a second when Kakashi pushed his finger inside just a little bit, but he wasn’t sure. Naruto was sure though, that he had never felt his body react so strongly when he came all over Kakashi’s hand and his chest. With a satisfied and tired moan, he sank down on Kakashi’s hot body. His eyes closed and he felt himself go completely lax in Kakashi arms. 

Kakashi chuckled when he pulled his hands away from Naruto’s body. The blond was sprawled on top of him and he certainly was an image for some lonely nights that he would have to spend with his trusted Icha Icha Paradise and his loyal friend…. his right hand.    
Naruto’s legs were still spread on top of him and his cute lewd little moans were driving Kakashi insane. Naruto may be innocent and a little inexperienced in some things, but he would show his cute little blond everything. He was a Sensei after all. 

_ Stop! Bad Kakashi! _

Naruto slightly lifted his head from Kakashi’s head. “What about you?” He said tiredly and blushed. “You haven’t…” 

Kakashi chuckled. “Will you help me with that or will you leave me like this and just disappear into the woods with the Bijuu? I might have to do this by myself or find help somewhere…” Maybe he was a little perfidious now. He would never do that. He would never cheat on Naruto. 

Naruto growled at Kakashi and sat up. His cute little ass was rubbing teasingly over Kakashi’s cock. He glared down at the Jonin. “You would never do that. Would you?” 

Kakashi’s hand greedily moved over Naruto’s thighs and helped him move his ass up and down over his throbbing cock. “Fuck, Naruto!” 

“Would you, Kakashi?” Naruto leaned down and possessively tugged at the silver strands. His eyes were boring into Kakashi’s, demanding an answer. 

“Never. I would never do that, my love. You are everything to me, Naruto.” 

“Kakashi!” he leaned down and eagerly wriggled his ass over Kakashi’s cock, trying his best with the little experience he had to make his lover feel good. He wanted Kakashi to feel just as amazing as he had. “I want you to feel good… I want you to cum ... all over me.” He whispered heatedly. Naruto couldn’t believe what he was saying, but his heart was beating so fast and he could hear the blood rushing through his ears. The adrenalin was pumping through his veins as he moved his body on top of Kakashi. It almost felt like he was close to another orgasm himself watching Kakashi come undone under his hands. 

A delicate sheen of sweat appeared on his chest. Kakashi held Naruto's hips in a tight grip and helped the young man with his lascivious movements that drove him closer to his orgasm. Kakashi was one of the strongest shinobi in the five nations but he was like butter in Naruto’s hands. His body trembled with arousal and pleasure. He was losing all sense of what was going on around him as he was chasing that delicious friction and contact with Naruto. “Naruto!” He called breathlessly as he fell apart. He was panting hard when he came all over himself and Naruto.

Naruto’s eyes were warmed with love and devotion as he watched Kakashi take a deep breath to calm down again. While Kakashi was still gasping for air Naruto was still captured by this revelation. Sex was truly amazing. He had been so worried that maybe he would be bad at this, but it seemed like he would enjoy this –  **a lot**. His hands travelled over Kakashi’s stomach and his fingers were tracing the sticky substance that was all over Kakashi’s abs. 

Lazily the copy nin opened his eyes. His eyes followed Naruto’s every moment. They way the blond gently let his fingers slide through the cum made Kakashi want to try all kinds of naughty things from Icha Icha Tactics on Naruto. He quickly turned them around until he was on top of Naruto again. “My my, so curious… You make me want to try all kinds of Icha Icha stuff on you. Maybe now is the time for talking about tying someone up?” He jokingly said. 

Naruto knew Kakashi very well by now and he knew that Kakashi only joked around when he talked about Icha Icha like that. He giggled and pulled Kakashi down for another sweet kiss. Kakashi smiled and gently pressed his lips against Naruto. 

“I was kinda nervous…” Naruto admitted when Kakashi pulled away. 

“Why?” Kakashi pushed the blankets away and sat up. They would have to get up eventually. Tsunade was waiting for him at her office and he wanted to walk Naruto to the gates at least when his beloved left the village for the next few days. Naruto followed his example and sat up. 

“I didn’t want to disappoint you... It’s stupid, I know.” 

“You could never disappoint me. Experience is not everything. Every relationship is different. Every sexual and intimate relationship is different.” 

Naruto listened carefully to what Kakashi said. He nodded and reached for Kakashi’s hand. “And ours?” 

Kakashi smirked and touched Naruto’s soft cheek and his thumb gently traced the kiss swollen lips. “Maybe I should play Sensei a little bit and teach my cute little student how things work. What do you think?” he winked at Naruto playfully.

Naruto could hear the lewd innuendo in Kakashi’s voice, and he blushed. “Ero-Sensei...” He couldn’t stop the happy giggle that escaped him. 

Kakashi chuckled and slowly got up. He fished for his briefs and pulled them on. Even though they certainly didn’t feel good on his skin right now, he felt like a certain decorum would be good though or they might start all over again and they might never leave this room. He stopped in his tracks. 

_ Maybe that wasn’t such a bad idea after all. No. Bad Kakashi. _

He went to the wardrobe and took out some fresh clothes. “I’ll quickly take a shower, alright? You should shower too and get ready for your days with the Bijuu.” Kakashi said. He quickly left their bedroom and went to clean up. The shower felt wonderful. He leaned his head against the shower wall. He really wished that Naruto didn’t have to leave the village, but he understood and respected his wish and the need that the blond felt to be alone for a while.    
He understood his wish to be with the Bijuu.    
No one in this world was closer to the Bijuu now than Naruto. 

Kakashi felt a little stupid for being jealous over the close relationship that Naruto had with Kurama and the other Bijuu. It was clear to anyone that the Bijuu held a very special place in the young Jinchurikis heart. He would probably always have to share the blond with the Bijuu. 

_ Well, better a zoo of Bijuu and toads, than some other guy _ . He thought and let the hot water massage his shoulders. 

He knew that the relationship that was developing between Naruto and the Bijuu was more like a familial bond, something very deep and profound. It wasn’t like the relationship between him and Naruto, which was a relationship entirely based on love, devotion and mutual affection. Kakashi knew that sometimes his jealousy and his possessiveness was getting the better of him. 

He turned the shower off and stepped outside. He took a towel and scrubbed himself dry. He tried to dry his wild silver hair and as he stared into the mirror, he saw that there were some dark marks on his neck. He chuckled. He couldn’t even remember when he had seen hickeys on his skin the last time. Naruto had been quite ravenous last night. He touched his skin and grinned. 

_ That one is pretty dark too. I’m glad I’m wearing my mask. Imagine anyone would see this. Hehe. _

He imagined the shocked faces and he chuckled happily as he walked out of the bathroom. He saw that Naruto wore his boxer shorts again and one of Kakashi’s old shirts. He was kneeling in front of their wardrobe and he was deciding what to pack. He put some shirts, pants and shorts into his backpack. “I need some food too.” He mumbled. “Ah Kakashi, you are done. I’m gonna take a quick shower too.” Like a blond whirlwind, Naruto disappeared into the bathroom. 

Kakashi knew from years of experiences, travelling and doing missions with Naruto, that he would definitely forget to pack his toothbrush and his bedroll, so he went to the wardrobe and put them into his bag. After he also sneaked some healthy food inside Naruto’s bag he started to make breakfast for them. 

Naruto came running out of the bathroom and hurriedly got dressed. He put the last items into his bag and put it down at the door. He was ready to leave. Somehow he was getting really exited to spend those days with the Bijuu. 

“Are you looking forward to your time with the Bijuu?” Kakashi asked. He was trying to make some egg rolls for Naruto’s breakfast.

“Yes. I am really excited to see everyone again and spend some time with them. I’m pretty sure that Kurama is also looking forward to being with his brothers and sisters again. I want to make sure that everyone is ok and tell them goodbye before they leave or Iwa, Suna, Kumogakura and wherever they are going. I know that Gaara and Bee are looking forward to seeing Gyuuki and Shukaku again, but I will also miss them, you know?” 

“Of course.” Kakashi smiled. 

*

They finished their breakfast quietly and cleaned up the kitchen and the bedroom before they left. It seemed like they were looking for excuses to stay together for a bit longer, but when everything was clean again and the dishes were put away, it was 10:00 already and Kakashi knew that Tsunade would be waiting for him. They left their apartment and made their way towards the main gate of the village. Hand in hand they walked through the village. 

Naruto was a little apprehensive and anxious to be seen together like this because of the things that happened with Kyou, but Kakashi didn’t let go of his hand. When Naruto wanted to pull away his hand, Kakashi pulled him closer. “I know what happened with Kyou was bad, but I promise you that while you’re away I will talk with Tsunade about this. I will take care of this. Trust me.” 

“You are right. I did worry about that." He relaxed and let Kakashi pull him closer. The silver haired man wrapped his arm around Naruto’s shoulder and together they walked the rest of the way towards the main gate. Some shinobi and civilians greeted them friendly and smiled at their hero. Some young Genin bowed politely in front of Kakashi and Naruto and giggled excitedly when they left. 

Naruto felt a little uneasy to take all the glory when it was actually Sasuke who had killed Madara and saved his life. Kakashi pulled him out of his remorseful thinking. “Sometimes it is easier to give them what they want.” 

“But isn’t that lying? Sasuke killed Madara and he saved my life.” 

“What are you going to do about it?” They reached the gate. Kotetsu and Izumo stood at their post and greeted them with a smile. 

Naruto stared at Kakashi. “I will think about it.” 

“I know you will find the right answer.” Kakashi said and smiled at his beloved. 

*

Izumo and Kotetsu watched as they wrapped their arms around each other. Naruto closed his eyes for a moment and nodded at something Kakashi said. A sweet smile danced over Naruto’s face and he blushed. ‘ _ Yes. I love you too, Kakashi _ .’ Izumo chuckled. He was able to lip read the words that Naruto said. He was amazed that the blond didn’t even try to hide his affections for the copy nin. Slowly they moved apart, and the guards watched as Kakashi gently caressed Naruto’s cheeks. The blond’s face blushed sweetly as he looked into Kakashi’s face.   
Izumo coughed and gestured to his friend. “They are pretty cozy with each other, don’t you think?” 

Kotetsu's face had a healthy red color as well as he watched the great copy nin being very ‘cozy’ with Naruto. They could hear a sweet giggle from Naruto as the young shinobi innocently touched Kakashi’s shoulder and let his hand travel along the strong arm until he reached Kakashi’s hand and their fingers entwined. Kotetsu and Izumo felt like they should look somewhere else when it was so clear that those two were flirting with each other like crazy. 

“Do you think that they … you know?” 

“Something happened between them.” Kotetsu observed the couple and coughed embarrassedly when he watched Kakashi caress Naruto’s cheeks. “They are very…” They could hear Kakashi chuckle at something that Naruto just said. “...close.” 

The guards couldn’t hide their amusement. They had seen Kakashi in practically every possible life situation there is, dirty and tired after Anbu missions, almost dead and barely conscious on Gai’s back, stupidly drunk with Jiraiya-sama, depressed and on the edge of suicide after his team and his Sensei died, but they had never seen him completely and utterly ….  **Lovesick** .

“That’s new.” 

“It is.” 

“Not unpleasant though.” 

“Yes. It’s kinda nice, don’t you think?” 

Izumo looked at his friend and smiled. “Definitely. I prefer to see  **this** Kakashi than the one we had to drag to the hospital every other week because he tried to get himself killed on practically every mission.” 

They watched the couple for a few more minutes and decided that  _ a lovesick Hatake Kakashi _ really wasn’t so bad.

*

Naruto pulled away from Kakashi and called for Kurama. The nine tailed fox appeared next to his Jinchuriki and looked at Kakashi. “Hatake-kun. You look disheveled. You should pay more attention to your appearance.” 

Kakashi felt like he was being scolded. He bowed politely before the ancient Bijuu. “Yes, Kurama-san.” 

Naruto giggled. “Mah, Kurama stop being so grumpy.” He hugged Kakashi one last time and decided that it was time to leave. He pulled Kurama away and waved happily at Kakashi who smiled and waved as well. 

“Goodbye Izumo-san. Goodbye Kotetsu-san! I’ll be back in a few days! Goodbye Kakashi, I looove youuu! Be nice to Pakkun and Bisuke while I’m gone!” Naruto yelled on top of his lungs while he ran. The Bijuu raced after Naruto and together they disappeared into the woods. 

Izumo and Kotetsu stared at Kakashi and now that they finally had the Jonin alone, they had the opportunity to get some information out of him. 

“So, Kakashi. Finally… You  _ are  _ in a relationship.” Izumo started. 

“Hm.” Kakashi hummed. 

“Good for you, my man. Took you quite long. We were worried that maybe you would stay lonely forever.” Kotetsu mused. 

“Thank you…” Kakashi chuckled darkly. 

They turned around and followed Kakashi’s gaze that was still fixed on the woods. 

“Tsunade-sama told us that he would be staying with the Bijuu for a few days and that he’s allowed free passage between the woods and the village for as long as the Bijuu are staying here. So… He’ll be back soon. Right?” Izumo said and looked at the Jonin who suddenly had a forlorn look on his face. 

“Ah… Yes of course he’ll be back soon.” Kakashi quickly answered and scratched his cheek. 

“It’s the pain of love my friend. No pain is sweeter.” Kotetsu chuckled. “Who would have guessed that YOU of all people would stand here one day with such a forlorn look on your face and that the one you’re pining after is Naruto.” 

Kakashi looked amusedly at his friends. He knew them since his academy days. They had always been supportive, funny, and accepting. “Indeed.” He simply said. He looked between them. “Are you alright with it? Me and Naruto?” 

Izumo grew serious and patted Kakashi on the shoulder. “Mah, Kakashi, drop that face immediately! We talked with Yugao last night. We know what happened with Kyou. Let me tell you something: you shouldn’t give a fuck about that guy! You should know who your true friends are. Right Kotetsu?!”

“YES!” The other Jonin yelled enthusiastically. “I like Naruto-kun. I think he’s good for you. You look happy.”

“Yeah. You look changed.” Izumo said. 

Kakashi laughed and looked at his friends. The three Jonin stood at the gates of Konoha and suddenly it truly felt like something had come to an end in Kakashi’s life. He realized that there were times for sadness and grief in life, but there were also times for love and happiness. He had seen so much war, death and sadness, maybe this was his chance for love. Maybe this was a turning point in his life now that he had to grasp.  _ A new beginning _ . 

Maybe this would also be such a turning point for Naruto? He wasn’t sure what Naruto would learn from his time with the Bijuu, but he was certain that he would return and that they would be together again. 

He had been grieving for his team, Rin, Obito and his Sensei for so many years, but he had been granted this second chance. Minato Sensei had told him that life was precious and short and that he wished for his happiness. He would take this chance for a new beginning. He looked into the distance where Naruto had disappeared into the woods. He would wait for Naruto. He would come back home soon. 

“Maybe I have changed. He makes me happy.” He put his hands into his pockets and waved at his friends before he lazily walked away. 

***


End file.
